Structure of Earth, Tectonic Plates, and Continental Drifting

Structure of Earth Earh's Sphere's: 4 main parts of Earth - Luthosphere: Land, rocks, minerals - Atmohsphere: Air, gasses, vapours -Hydrosphere: All forms of water - Biosphere: Living Organisms, Life Layers of Earth: Crust: Surface of earth, thinnest layer, cold solid, broken into tectonic plates. Mantle, hot, made of liquid magma, contains covection currents Outer core: Hot, made up of liquid nickle and iron. Together with the inner core, is is the thickest layer. Inner core: Hottest Layer, made of solid nickle and iron. * Convection currents: Movement of energy from one place to another. Makes tectonic plates move. Theory of Plate Tectonics: -  Earth's curst is broken into plates - Convection currents in upper mantle cause plates to move Plates can: Diverge: - Plates spread apart -Oceanic Ridge: When  sea floor spreads apart, Rift valley: caused by plates moving apart on land. Ex. Mid -Atalantic ridge, frica's rift valley Converge: - When plates collide - Moutnains are formes Ex. Himalayas - Subduction: When an oceanic plate collides with a contienetal plate and slides beneath it. - Creates volcanoes, earthwuakes, and deep-sea trenches Transform: Transformation -Plates slide past each other, grnding gainst eachother as they move - Creates Earthquakes. Earthquakes happen when 2 plates that haven't moved in years, suddnly slide again eachother. Magnitue o earthquakes is measure on the Richter Scale. Ring of fire: contains 75% of active volcanoe's, 90 of world's earthquakes, and 8-% of the world's largets earthquakes Tsunamis: Long Ocean Waves formed when water is displaced by under water earthquakes/volcanic erruptions.

Contienental Drift: - The theory that continents are in constant motion Evidence of Drifting: Jigsaw fit of continents: On a map, the continents rouhly fit together like puzzle pieces Fossil Match: Foddils of same animals and plants found on contients believed to have once been together Similarity of Moutian Chnais: Similar mounain range son different continents, like Appalacihian and Caledonian Mountains, could have one been together. Ancient Glaciers: Souther parts of Asia, South America, Austrailia, and India were once covered by ice sheets. This is only possible if they were once connected to south pole.