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This deck focuses on Plate Tectonics, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for AP Environmental Science.
AP Environmental Science Flashcards: Plate Tectonics
Study Plate Tectonics in AP Environmental Science with focused flashcards that help you recognize the idea, recall the key rule, and apply it in practice-style prompts.
AP Environmental Science
Plate Tectonics
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What is the significance of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
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ANSWER
It is a divergent boundary where new oceanic crust forms. Demonstrates active seafloor spreading in the Atlantic.
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Flashcard 1: What is the significance of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
Answer: It is a divergent boundary where new oceanic crust forms. Demonstrates active seafloor spreading in the Atlantic.
Flashcard 2: Identify the process where oceanic crust sinks beneath a trench.
Answer: Subduction. Oceanic plates are recycled into the mantle at trenches.
Flashcard 3: Name the geological feature formed by continental-continental convergence.
Answer: Mountain ranges. Continental collision creates folded and uplifted terrain.
Flashcard 4: What is the primary source of heat driving mantle convection?
Answer: Radioactive decay in Earth's interior. Uranium, thorium, and potassium decay provides internal energy.
Flashcard 5: Who proposed the theory of continental drift?
Answer: Alfred Wegener. German meteorologist who first proposed continental movement.
Flashcard 6: Identify the three types of plate boundaries.
Answer: Convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries. The three ways plates can interact at their edges.
Flashcard 7: What is the primary cause of earthquakes?
Answer: Movement along faults at plate boundaries. Sudden release of stress accumulated along plate boundaries.
Flashcard 8: What occurs at a divergent boundary?
Answer: Plates move apart, forming new crust at mid-ocean ridges. Separation allows magma to rise and solidify into new seafloor.
Flashcard 9: What is the average rate of plate movement?
Answer: Several centimeters per year. Similar to fingernail growth rate, measurable by GPS.
Flashcard 10: What occurs at a divergent boundary?
Answer: Plates move apart, forming new crust at mid-ocean ridges. Separation allows magma to rise and solidify into new seafloor.
Flashcard 11: What is subduction?
Answer: The process where one plate moves under another into the mantle. Denser oceanic plates sink beneath less dense continental plates.
Flashcard 12: What is slab pull?
Answer: A force exerted by a sinking plate during subduction. Gravitational force from dense subducting slabs pulls plates down.
Flashcard 13: How does plate tectonics contribute to biodiversity?
Answer: By forming diverse habitats through geological activity. Mountain building and volcanism create varied environments for life.
Flashcard 14: What is the significance of paleomagnetism in plate tectonics?
Answer: It records the history of Earth's magnetic field and supports seafloor spreading. Ancient magnetic patterns preserved in rocks show plate motion.
Flashcard 15: What is the asthenosphere?
Answer: A semi-fluid layer of the mantle on which tectonic plates move. The plastic layer beneath plates that allows movement.
Flashcard 16: What is a rift valley?
Answer: A deep valley formed as tectonic plates move apart. Continental divergence creates elongated depressions.
Flashcard 17: What is the role of volcanic arcs in plate tectonics?
Answer: They form above subducting plates and indicate active convergence. Curved volcanic chains mark active subduction zones.
Flashcard 18: What is a tectonic plate?
Answer: A rigid segment of the lithosphere that moves over the asthenosphere. Large pieces of lithosphere that act as single units.
Flashcard 19: What is ridge push?
Answer: A force exerted by cooling, sinking lithosphere at mid-ocean ridges. Cooling lithosphere at ridges slides down and pushes plates.
Flashcard 20: What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
Answer: An area with frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions around the Pacific Ocean. Results from numerous subduction zones around the Pacific.
Flashcard 21: What type of crust is denser, oceanic or continental?
Answer: Oceanic crust. Higher density causes oceanic crust to subduct beneath continental.
Flashcard 22: Identify the process that recycles oceanic crust back into the mantle.
Answer: Subduction. Oceanic plates sink back into mantle, completing the cycle.
Flashcard 23: What is subduction?
Answer: The process where one plate moves under another into the mantle. Denser oceanic plates sink beneath less dense continental plates.
Flashcard 24: Explain continental drift.
Answer: The hypothesis that continents move across Earth's surface over time. Early theory explaining why continents fit together like puzzle pieces.
Flashcard 25: What is the significance of paleomagnetism in plate tectonics?
Answer: It records the history of Earth's magnetic field and supports seafloor spreading. Ancient magnetic patterns preserved in rocks show plate motion.
Flashcard 26: Name the geological feature formed by oceanic-continental convergence.
Answer: Volcanic mountain ranges. Oceanic plate subduction creates coastal volcanic chains.
Flashcard 27: What evidence of tectonic activity is found in oceanic crust?
Answer: Magnetic striping and age differences of rocks. Patterns show symmetric spreading from mid-ocean ridges.
Flashcard 28: What type of boundary is the San Andreas Fault?
Answer: A transform boundary. California's major fault where plates slide horizontally.
Flashcard 29: What evidence supports the theory of plate tectonics?
Answer: Fossil distribution, rock formations, and seafloor spreading. Multiple lines of evidence confirm plate movement theory.
Flashcard 30: How are ocean trenches formed?
Answer: By subduction of oceanic plates beneath continental or other oceanic plates. Subduction creates deep depressions in the ocean floor.
Flashcard 31: What drives the movement of tectonic plates?
Answer: Convection currents in the mantle. Heat-driven circulation in the mantle pushes plates around.
Flashcard 32: What type of boundary is the San Andreas Fault?
Answer: A transform boundary. California's major fault where plates slide horizontally.
Flashcard 33: Name the geological feature formed by continental-continental convergence.
Answer: Mountain ranges. Continental collision creates folded and uplifted terrain.
Flashcard 34: Who proposed the theory of continental drift?
Answer: Alfred Wegener. German meteorologist who first proposed continental movement.
Flashcard 35: What occurs at a transform boundary?
Answer: Plates slide past one another, causing earthquakes. Lateral motion creates friction and sudden release of energy.
Flashcard 36: Identify the three types of plate boundaries.
Answer: Convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries. The three ways plates can interact at their edges.
Flashcard 37: What is the asthenosphere?
Answer: A semi-fluid layer of the mantle on which tectonic plates move. The plastic layer beneath plates that allows movement.
Flashcard 38: What is slab pull?
Answer: A force exerted by a sinking plate during subduction. Gravitational force from dense subducting slabs pulls plates down.
Flashcard 39: Which layer of Earth is involved in plate tectonics?
Answer: The lithosphere. The rigid outer shell that breaks into moving plates.
Flashcard 40: What occurs at a convergent boundary?
Answer: Plates collide, leading to mountain formation or subduction. Collision creates compression and vertical crustal movement.
Flashcard 41: Identify the process where oceanic crust sinks beneath a trench.
Answer: Subduction. Oceanic plates are recycled into the mantle at trenches.
Flashcard 42: What is the primary source of heat driving mantle convection?
Answer: Radioactive decay in Earth's interior. Uranium, thorium, and potassium decay provides internal energy.
Flashcard 43: How are ocean trenches formed?
Answer: By subduction of oceanic plates beneath continental or other oceanic plates. Subduction creates deep depressions in the ocean floor.
Flashcard 44: What is the theory of plate tectonics?
Answer: Earth's lithosphere is divided into plates that move on the asthenosphere. The fundamental principle describing how Earth's surface moves and changes.
Flashcard 45: How do tectonic plates affect climate?
Answer: By altering ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns. Continental positions affect global weather and ocean currents.
Flashcard 46: What is a rift valley?
Answer: A deep valley formed as tectonic plates move apart. Continental divergence creates elongated depressions.
Flashcard 47: What is a hotspot?
Answer: A location where magma rises to Earth's surface independent of plate boundaries. Fixed volcanic source creates island chains as plates move.
Flashcard 48: What drives the movement of tectonic plates?
Answer: Convection currents in the mantle. Heat-driven circulation in the mantle pushes plates around.
Flashcard 49: Which geological feature results from a transform boundary?
Answer: Fault lines. Fractures where plates slide past each other horizontally.
Flashcard 50: What type of crust is denser, oceanic or continental?
Answer: Oceanic crust. Higher density causes oceanic crust to subduct beneath continental.
Flashcard 51: Name the geological feature formed by oceanic-oceanic convergence.
Answer: Island arcs. Chains of volcanoes form when oceanic plates converge.
Flashcard 52: What is ridge push?
Answer: A force exerted by cooling, sinking lithosphere at mid-ocean ridges. Cooling lithosphere at ridges slides down and pushes plates.
Flashcard 53: What is the lithosphere?
Answer: The rigid outer layer of Earth, comprising the crust and upper mantle. Earth's strong outer layer that forms tectonic plates.
Flashcard 54: What is the role of mantle plumes in plate tectonics?
Answer: They create hotspots and volcanic activity. Rising columns of hot rock create volcanic activity.
Flashcard 55: What is the lithosphere?
Answer: The rigid outer layer of Earth, comprising the crust and upper mantle. Earth's strong outer layer that forms tectonic plates.
Flashcard 56: What is a tectonic plate?
Answer: A rigid segment of the lithosphere that moves over the asthenosphere. Large pieces of lithosphere that act as single units.
Flashcard 57: What is the significance of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
Answer: It is a divergent boundary where new oceanic crust forms. Demonstrates active seafloor spreading in the Atlantic.
Flashcard 58: What is the average rate of plate movement?
Answer: Several centimeters per year. Similar to fingernail growth rate, measurable by GPS.