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Restless Earth Glossary
Asthenosphere
the upper part of the mantle.
Collision plate
boundary
(margin)
Stratovolcano
Where two tectonic plates collide.
Conservative
plate boundary
(margin)
Constructive
plate boundary
(margin)
Continental
crust
Convection
currents
Core
Crust
Destructive
plate boundary
(margin)
Evacuation
Igneous rock
Long-term
planning
Lithosphere
Magnetosphere
Magnitude
Management
Mantle
Oceanic crust
Plate boundaries
(margins)
A cone shaped volcano formed
from layers of different kinds of
lava.
When two tectonic plates slide
past one another.
Where two tectonic plates move
apart.
thick(30-50 km), low density
crust forming land. Often made
of granite.
movements in the liquid outer
core and mantle created as heat
rises from the core. They are
strong enough to move the
tectonic plates on the Earth’s
surface.
the innermost layer of the Earth.
The inner core is so deep and is
under such huge pressure that it
stays solid. The outer core is
liquid because it is under lower
pressure. The outer core
generates Earth’s magnetic field.
the surface of the Earth.
When two tectonic plates collide
and one is destroyed.
When people move from a place
to danger to a safer place.
is formed when molten rock from a
volcano cools and hardens.
Planning that looks beyond the
immediate costs and benefits by
exploring impacts in the future.
the uppermost layer of the Earth.
It is cool and brittle. It includes
the crust and the solid top layer of
the mantle.
the invisible magnetic field
surrounding the Earth created by
the Earth’s outer core.
Of an earthquake, an expression
of the total energy released.
The ways in which people try to
control natural events (e.g.
earthquakes and volcanoes) and
their impacts. They do this by
prediction and preparation.
the largest of the Earth’s layers by
volume. Found between the crust
and the core.
thin (6-8 km), dense crust under
the oceans, often made of basalt.
Where tectonic plates meet.
There are three kinds of
boundary
Prediction
Preparation
Primary effects
Radioactive
decay
Relief effort
Response
Richter scale
Secondary
effects
Seismometer
Shield volcano
Short-term
emergency relief
Tectonic hazards
Tectonic plate
Granitic rocks
Basaltic rocks
Plumes
Magma
Lava
Geothermal heat
Focus
Epicentre
Saying that something will
happen in the future. A scientific
prediction is based on statistical
evidence.
Watching for warning signs in
order to foretell when a hazard
event will occur.
Caused instantly by a hazard. E.g.
roads crack, walls collapse and
landslide happen when there is an
earthquake.
atoms of naturally unstable
elements release particles from
their nuclei and give off heat.
Help given by organisations or
countries to help those facing an
emergency.
The way in which people react to
a situation.
Measures the strength, or
magnitude, of an earthquake on a
scale from 0 to 10.
In the hours, days and weeks after
a hazard. E.g. fires break out,
disease spreads and food and water
run out after an earthquake.
A machine for recording and
measuring an earthquake.
a volcano shaped like a shield,
with very gentle slopes. Made
from basaltic lava which is very
fluid (low viscosity).
Help and aid provided to an area
to prevent immediate loss of life
because of shortages of basics,
such as water, food and shelter.
Threats posed by earthquakes,
volcanoes and other events
triggered by crustal processes.
the Earth’s surface is broken down
into large pieces, like a cracked
eggshell. The pieces are called
tectonic plates, or just plates.
are made up of large crystals which
formed as magma cooled slowly.
The contain low density minerals
such as quartz and feldspar.
are fine-grained with no visible
crystals. They range from black to
grey in colour. Most occur in lava
flows and sheets.
the parts of the convection cells
where heat moves up towards the
surface.
molten (liquid) rock inside the
Earth’s surface.
molten rock ejected onto Earth’s
surface by volcanic activity.
heat from inside the Earth
the point of origin of an
earthquake.
the point on the ground directly
above the focus (centre) of an
earthquake.