Download Study Questions for the first week of ESS 210

Study Questions for the first week of ESS 210
Chapter 1
1. Describe Earth’s internal structure – describe both the compositional and
mechanical layers.
2. Draw a cross-section through Earth showing the compositional layers (indicate
the approximate thickness of these layers) ((Need to know approximate radius of
Earth and the radii of various boundaries)
3. What is the thickness of oceanic crust? Of continental crust?
4. How did the compositional layers develop from an originally homogeneous
Earth?
5. What are the layers having different physical properties of Earth? Their
thicknesses?
6. What are the key physical properties that distinguish the inner core, outer core,
asthenosphere and lithosphere?
7. What are the principal concepts of plate tectonics?
8. What is a system? What distinguishes differences between open, closed, and
isolated systems?
9. Discuss three major Earth cycles and how they interact..
10. What is Uniformitaranism? How is it used to better understand Earth?
11. What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?
12. Discuss gradual vs catastrophic geologic processes.
Chapter 2
1. How do Earth’s topography and bathymetry tell us that the interior moves in a
ductile manner
2. How is plate tectonics related to the loss of Earth’s internal heat to space?
3. How do we measure the movement of the plates?
4. Describe the three types of plate boundaries.
5. What kind of plate boundary runs through California,?
6. What plate boundary is found in Washington?
7. Where on earth is there a continent-continent plate collision?
8. What plate boundary type runs down the middle of the Atlantic ocean?
9. Is the US Atlantic coastline an active plate margin?
10. Draw a cross-section through a subduction zone with an oceanic plate subducting
beneath a continenent. Show lithosphere, asthemosphere, crust, mantle, trench,
volcanoes, and location of earthquakes.
11. What is a hotspot? What is their connection to plate tectonics? Give an example
of where a hot spot is active on Earth today.
12. Discuss the connection between plate tectonics and the depth of the ocean basins.