Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes & Landforms

Front

What is the hanging wall in geological terms?

Back

One side of a fault that is angled diagonally.

Front

What is a pluton?

Back

A body of magma that has hardened underground.

Front

Who was Alfred Wegener?

Back

A German scientist who proposed the theory of continental drift in the early 1900s.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Regions of Earth's crust and upper mantle that are fractured into plates.

Front

What is a hotspot?

Back

An area where magma from deep within the mantle melts and breaks through the crust above it.

Front

What is the theory of continental drift?

Back

The hypothesis that continents move across the Earth's surface over geological time.

Front

What causes earthquakes?

Back

The sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves.

Front

What is a fault?

Back

A fracture in the Earth's crust along which movement has occurred.

Front

What is the difference between a normal fault and a reverse fault?

Back

In a normal fault, the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall; in a reverse fault, the hanging wall moves up.

Front

What is the focus of an earthquake?

Back

The point within the Earth where an earthquake originates.