Starter quiz
- A ______ is a natural event that has the potential to cause damage, loss of life or economic disruption.
- 'natural hazard' ✓
- Order the layers of Earth, starting from the outside and going towards its centre.
- 1⇔crust
- 2⇔mantle
- 3⇔outer core
- 4⇔inner core
- What is magma?
- molten/semi-molten rock beneath Earth's surface ✓
- molten or partially molten rock that has been ejected by volcanoes
- cooled and solidified rock
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- Which of the following are geological hazards?
- volcanoes ✓
- flooding
- tropical storms
- earthquakes ✓
-
- Hazard ______ is the probability that a natural hazard will affect a population.
- 'risk' ✓
- The ______ is the outer layer of Earth. It is a thin layer between 0 - 60 km thick upon which we live.
- 'crust' ✓
Exit quiz
- Order the layers of Earth, starting from the surface.
- 1⇔crust
- 2⇔mantle
- 3⇔outer core
- 4⇔inner core
- According to plate tectonic theory, the lithosphere is divided into a number of ______ plates. These plates sit on top of a semi-solid layer of the upper mantle called the asthenosphere.
- 'tectonic' ✓
- What is the lithosphere?
- the crust and most solid part of the mantle ✓
- the very centre of Earth
- where an earthquake starts from
-
- What are characteristics of the asthenosphere?
- semi-solid and ductile: bends, flows and stretches under stress ✓
- mostly made of crust: oceanic and continental crust
- hot - from 1300oC to 1500oC ✓
- higher density ✓
- lower density as solid rocks are not compressed as much
-
- Put the convection current theory in the correct order.
- 1⇔Heat rises: hot material from the lower mantle rises up towards the lithosphere.
- 2⇔When the material cools, it sinks back down again.
- 3⇔This rising and falling creates circular convection currents.
- 4⇔The currents drag on the base of tectonic plates, which moves them.
- In 1912, Alfred Wegener published a theory that the continents had once been joined together and had since moved apart. This theory was known as ______ drift.
- 'continental' ✓
Worksheet
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Earth's outer layer (lithosphere) is divided into a number of plates.
- Gravitational sliding, involving the processes of 'ridge-push' and 'slab-pull', contributes towards plate movement.
- Earth's surface provides evidence for plate tectonics theory.
Common misconception
Tectonic plates float like rafts on liquid magma.
The mantle is semi-solid rather than a sort of liquid sea of magma.
Keywords
Tectonic plate - a large, rigid slab of Earth's lithosphere (outer layer) that sits on the semi-solid asthenosphere beneath it
Asthenosphere - a semi-solid layer of Earth's upper mantle
Convection - the transfer of heat through the movement of fluids: warmer, less dense material rises and cooler, denser material sinks, creating a circular flow
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