FCAT Standard 18
SC.7.E.6.7
Recognize that heat flow and movement of material within Earth causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and creates mountains and ocean basins
Standard Summary: This standard asks us to be able to recognize how heat flows through the physical parts of earth and how this flowing is responsible for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and the creation of mountains and ocean trenches.
SC.7.E.6.7
Recognize that heat flow and movement of material within Earth causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and creates mountains and ocean basins
Standard Summary: This standard asks us to be able to recognize how heat flows through the physical parts of earth and how this flowing is responsible for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and the creation of mountains and ocean trenches.
Words to Know
Convection Current: the transfer of heat by the movement of heated particles into an area of cooler fluid. Generally, these occur in liquids or gases. Hot materials expand upwards where they cool, condense and sink back down.
Mantle: One of the inner layers of the earth, this contains molten rock that forms convection currents
Earthquake: Seismic waves created by energy being released in Earth's crust
Volcano: a mountain or crater that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth
Volcanic Eruption: When pressure builds up inside a volcano gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments.
Deep-Sea Trench: any long, narrow, steep-sided depression in the ocean bottom. They usually occur along a subduction zone.
Mid-Ocean Ridge: an underwater mountain range, formed by plate tectonics. This uplifting of the ocean floor occurs when convection currents rise in the mantle beneath the oceanic crust and create magma where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary.
Tectonic plates: theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle
Convergent plate boundary: The area where two tectonic plates converge, or come together, into each other. Mountains are forced up along these boundaries.
Divergent Plate Boundary: The area where two tectonic plates diverge, or move away from each other. This can either form a valley or a ridge.
Convection Current: the transfer of heat by the movement of heated particles into an area of cooler fluid. Generally, these occur in liquids or gases. Hot materials expand upwards where they cool, condense and sink back down.
Mantle: One of the inner layers of the earth, this contains molten rock that forms convection currents
Earthquake: Seismic waves created by energy being released in Earth's crust
Volcano: a mountain or crater that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth
Volcanic Eruption: When pressure builds up inside a volcano gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments.
Deep-Sea Trench: any long, narrow, steep-sided depression in the ocean bottom. They usually occur along a subduction zone.
Mid-Ocean Ridge: an underwater mountain range, formed by plate tectonics. This uplifting of the ocean floor occurs when convection currents rise in the mantle beneath the oceanic crust and create magma where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary.
Tectonic plates: theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle
Convergent plate boundary: The area where two tectonic plates converge, or come together, into each other. Mountains are forced up along these boundaries.
Divergent Plate Boundary: The area where two tectonic plates diverge, or move away from each other. This can either form a valley or a ridge.
Layers of the Earth
Within the Earth, there are several layers. The layers this standard focuses on are the crust and the mantle. You can see in the picture to the right that the crust is the outermost layer and the mantle is the one directly beneath it. The crust is rocky and thin compared to the other layers. The mantle is made of molten rock that is constantly being heated from the core. This heating causes convection currents to form. |
Earthquakes
Earthquakes generally occur near plate boundaries/fault lines (the line where two plates meet). When plates move or rub against each other, this causes the crust to shift, resulting in an earthquake. Waves of energy from the epicenter (the place where the quake originates) radiate out and can cause serious damage and ground upheaval. When you view a map of where earthquakes occur, it is easy to see the pattern: earthquakes happen along fault lines. |
Volcanoes
Volcanoes occur at divergent and convergent plate boundaries. At divergent plate boundaries, gently flowing volcanoes form. These are usually found under the ocean at mid ocean ridges where sea-floor spreading takes place. The magma from below rises up to fill the crack left by the separating plates. This process actually creates new land. It happens at a rate of about 10 cm per year. At convergent plate boundaries more violent volcanoes occur. The classic cone-shaped volcanoes rise from the side of a subduction zone. Subduction is the process of one plate being forced underneath another, this often happens between land plates (continental plates) and sea plates (oceanic plates). In the picture below, see if you can find the subduction zone and the volcanoes that form along their edge.
Volcanoes occur at divergent and convergent plate boundaries. At divergent plate boundaries, gently flowing volcanoes form. These are usually found under the ocean at mid ocean ridges where sea-floor spreading takes place. The magma from below rises up to fill the crack left by the separating plates. This process actually creates new land. It happens at a rate of about 10 cm per year. At convergent plate boundaries more violent volcanoes occur. The classic cone-shaped volcanoes rise from the side of a subduction zone. Subduction is the process of one plate being forced underneath another, this often happens between land plates (continental plates) and sea plates (oceanic plates). In the picture below, see if you can find the subduction zone and the volcanoes that form along their edge.
Mountains
As you can see from the above picture, the "rising magma" that is part of the convection current in the mantle causes these features to form on the crust. Because the sea floor spreads, the plates move around. This movement causes other landforms besides just volcanoes. Mountains are formed when two plates smash into each other at a convergent boundary. Let's take the Himalaya's as an example. This is the tallest mountain range on Earth, with the tallest peak: Mount Everest (and they are still growing!). Looking at the picture below you can see that the older plate is being subducted under the newer one causing mountains to bunch up where they meet.
As you can see from the above picture, the "rising magma" that is part of the convection current in the mantle causes these features to form on the crust. Because the sea floor spreads, the plates move around. This movement causes other landforms besides just volcanoes. Mountains are formed when two plates smash into each other at a convergent boundary. Let's take the Himalaya's as an example. This is the tallest mountain range on Earth, with the tallest peak: Mount Everest (and they are still growing!). Looking at the picture below you can see that the older plate is being subducted under the newer one causing mountains to bunch up where they meet.
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