SCIENCE G10 REVIEWER – QUARTER 1

©: Franchesca Nicole Jose – 10-Aristotle (G10 Representative)

Science - Quarter 1 that travel slower than P-waves. Motion

Earth Science is perpendicular to the direction of
wave propagation.
- Long surface waves (L-waves)
Earthquake
- vibration of earth due to the
Plate Tectonics
rapid release of energy
The lithosphere is said to be in constant but
- consequence of moving crustal plates
very slow motion. This movement of the
- plates are constantly moving
lithosphere is called tectonics.
Epicenter
- point of origin of earthquake
Plate Tectonic Theory
- point on the earth’s surface above
Theory that Earth’s outer shell (crust) is
the hypocenter
divided into several plates that glides over the
Seismologist
mantle.
- scientist who studies earthquakes
and planetary activities as well as
Plate
their effects
According to the Plate Tectonic Theory, the
Seismograph
entire lithosphere of Earth is broken into
- a devince used to record
numerous segments called plates.
earthquake waves
Seismogram
Lithospheric plate
- records made by seismograph
- The 100-km-thick surface of the earth
- Contains crust and part of the upper
Differentiate Surface Waves and Body Waves
mantle
Surface waves can only travel through the
- Fractures to produce earthquakes
surface like water ripples, while body waves can
pass through the earth’s interior.
Asthenosphere
- Is the hotter upper mantle below the
Surface waves arrives last at seismic recording
lithospheric plate;
stations
- Can flow like silly putty; and
- Is a viscoelastic solid, NOT liquid
Which wave is useful to seismologists in
their study of the earth’s interior?
Crust
Body waves are used by seismologists, because
The outer portion of the crust.
they can pass through the earth’s interior.

Made of solid rocks like sedimentary,

Earthquake releases 3 types of seismic waves:
metamorphic and igneous. Has an average
- Primary (P-waves) - also known as
density of 2.8 g/cm3 and its thickness ranges
pressure waves, travel at the greatest
from 5 to 50 km.
velocity through the Earth. First wave
to be recorded by a seismograph during
Kinds of crust:
an earthquake.
1. Continental crust - thick part of the
- Secondary (S-waves) - shear waves
Earth’s crust, not located under
or shaking waves, are transverse
water. Made up of thick granite.
waves
 SCIENCE G10 REVIEWER – QUARTER 1
©: Franchesca Nicole Jose – 10-Aristotle (G10 Representative)
2. Oceanic crust - thin part of he What is the reason for the occurrence of
Earth, located under the ocean. Made divergent boundaries?
up of granite. - Because of the convection current in the
mantel, the lithosphere will move apart.
Triangulation Method What are the two types of divergent boundary?
● One method of locating the - Continental-continental boundaries
earthquakes epicenter and Oceanic-oceanic boundaries
● Uses seismic data from 3 Products of divergent boundaries:
seismic stations Earthquake occurs in both divergence between
● Speed of the seismic waves will be oceanic or continental plate
used to calculate the distance of the
epicenter from each of the seismic Rift Valley is formed between continental
stations plates. Can form a new oceanic basin
● The three circles will intersect at
one point that locates the Mid-Ocean Ridge is formed by divergence
earthquakes’ epicenter between oceanic plates. Underwater mountain
● Usually, the less active fault line range. Where seafloor spreading takes place.
stores great amount of potential
energy that could cause major Shield volcanoes
earthquake once released. Basaltic magma
Basic lava (non-acidic
Plate boundaries and very runny)
The lines at the edges of he different pieces if Gentle sides
the lithosphere. Less violent eruptions

Transform fault boundary Convergent plate boundary

- are the boundaries between two plates A boundary in which two plates moves towards
that are sliding horizontally past each other, the plate collides in this plate
each other. boundary.
- called strike-slip boundary. Aka destructive boundary since the oceanic
- also known as conservative plate is destroyed at the convergent boundary.
margin, because no plate margins
are being destroyed nor formed. Ocean Trench
Features: Depression in the seafloor, narrow and long
Earthquake and Linear Valleys Deepest part of the ocean floor

Divergent fault boundary A slab pull would occur in a convergent plate

- boundaries between two plates are boundary. When we say slab, it pulls the less
diverging or moving away from dense crustal plate which is the oceanic plate
each other. subducts into the underlying mantle. It means
- aka constructive plate boundary that the oceanic plate slides beneath the other
- creates a zone of tension in the plate.
middle, forms a gap where molten
materials emerges, thus creating a new Tsunami
seafloor.
 SCIENCE G10 REVIEWER – QUARTER 1
©: Franchesca Nicole Jose – 10-Aristotle (G10 Representative)
Extremely long waves caused by a large and Alfred Wegener (1880-1930)
sudden displacement of the ocean German polar researcher, a geophysicist, and
Usually the result of an earthquake below meteorologist. Found evidences for pangaea and
or near the ocean floor proposed the theory of continental drift.

Continental Drift Theory

continents are slowly drifting around the earth and is
Continental-oceanic once a large landmass called Pangaea which means
“all earth”.
When oceanic crust collides with a continental
crust.
Evidences:
Oceanic plate (denser) sinks beneath the - Alfred said that all of the continents were
continental plate and undergoes subduction. once together as one landmass, which he
Subduction: Process where in denser oceanic named pangaea. 20 million years ago, they
plate sinks between the less dense continental broke apart.
plate.
Geological Fit Evidence
Geological features: - continents “fit together” like puzzle pieces
Volcanic arc, Trench, Earthquake
Fossil Evidence
- similar fossils have been discovered in
Oceanic-oceanic
matching coastlines
Oceanic crust collides with oceanic crust.
One plate subducts beneath the other. Mountains
- some mountain ranges on
Geological features: different continents seem to match
Trench, Tsunami, Island arc
Climatic
Continental-continental - such as glaciers in areas that are now
Continental crust collides with a continental close to the equator
crust.
Low density and very thick so when two collide, The Earth’s Interior
they just smash together.
Isaac Newton (Early 1700s)
Geological features: He assisted in understanding the Earth's
Mountain ranges & Earthquake structure by theorizing its density and shape.
Newton hypothesized that the Earth had a dense
Rigde push as the older seafloor sinks, the interior, and by the turn of the 19th century,
weight of the uplifted ridge pushes the oceanic geologists had collected evidence from rocks
crust towards the trench at the subduction zone. and minerals.

Continental Drift Theory Andrija Mohorovicic (1909)

He determined the boundary between the crust
and the mantle. Mohorovicic discontinuity is
called as the boundary between mantle and
crust.
 SCIENCE G10 REVIEWER – QUARTER 1
©: Franchesca Nicole Jose – 10-Aristotle (G10 Representative)
caused by convection currents that travel to the
Inge Lehmann (1936) asthenosphere. Magma from the mantle rises to
Discovered the solid inner and liquid outer fill the gap left by the separation of two oceanic
cores. plates at divergent plate boundaries. This
magma forms igneous rock, which spans the rift
Richard Oldham (1906) between the plates, as it cools. More magma
He found the outer core. pushes up through the newly created crust,
which eventually moves away from the ridge. It
Joseph Barrell (1914) gets older as it goes further. The minerals in
Established the ideas of asthenosphere and magma are aligned with the magnetic field of
lithosphere. Earth. Seafloor spreading is recorded by
magnetic stripes on either side of the mid-ocean
Crust ridge because the magnetic field reverses with
The outermost and thinnest layer of the Earth. time.
Made of solid rocks and minerals. There are two
types of crust: oceanic and continental crust. The theory about Seafloor spreading is that
oceanic crust forms along submarine
Mantle mountain zones, known collectively as the
The layer below the crust. The mantle is mid-ocean ridge system, and spreads out
approximately 2,900 kilometers thick. Tectonic
laterally away from them. This idea played a
plates move because of this.
pivotal role in the development of the theory
Outer Core
of plate tectonics, which revolutionized
A layer under the mantle containing molten geologic thought during the last quarter of
metal. Located approximately 2,900 to 5,150 the 20th century.
kilometers beneath the earth's surface.
Harry Hess (Early 1960s)
Inner Core The concept of seafloor spreading was first
A compact ball of iron located at the Earth's proposed by him.
center. Despite the hotter temperature, it remains The acceptance of seafloor spreading explained
solid due to pressure. Has a radius of 1,220 phenomena like continental drift, leading to the
kilometers. unifying theory that Earth's lithosphere is
divided into plates that move over the
Seafloor asthenosphere

Robert Dietz
Seafloor Spreading
Continued the research when Hess died. His
the geological process by which new oceanic
investigations of the ocean floor contributed to
crust forms along mid-ocean ridges and slowly
the confirmation of the geological theory of
moves away from them, resulting in the
continental drift. He set forth a theory of
expansion of ocean basins.
seafloor spreading.
Convection currents in the mantle are caused by
Topography of Seafloor:
heat from the Earth's core beneath the
lithosphere. The tectonic plate movement is
 SCIENCE G10 REVIEWER – QUARTER 1
©: Franchesca Nicole Jose – 10-Aristotle (G10 Representative)
- Continental Shelves: are gently sloping areas
Magnetic Reversal
extending from the edges of continents into the
ocean. They are rich in marine life, making
Magnetic Reversal
them prime areas for fishing, and are often
Aka Magnetic “Flip”. The process by which the
targeted for oil and gas exploration. .
North pole changes into a South pole and vice
versa. It takes thousands of years to happen.
- Continental Slopes: are sharp inclines that
descend from the continental shelves to the
Magnetic Stripes
deep ocean floor. They are characterized by
Rocks that make up the ocean floor lie in a
underwater canyons and can experience
pattern of magnetized stripes which hold a
submarine landslides due to their steepness.
record of the reversals in earth’s magnetic field.

- Abyssal Plains: are vast, flat expanses of the

Scientist noticed that some rocks were aligned
deep ocean floor covered with fine
to the “positive” or north end of the earth and
sediments. These plains are often home to
some at “negative” south end.
unique and specially adapted life forms
despite their extreme depths.
Fred Vine and Drummond Matthews
Hypothesized that the ocean floor was formed
- Mid-Ocean Ridges: are underwater mountain
near the mid-ocean ridges, then divided in half
ranges formed by volcanic activity along plate
by subsequent activity and pushed sideways.
boundaries. These ridges are where new
seafloor is created as tectonic plates move apart.
Last reversal
780,000 years ago
- Ocean Trenches: are the deepest parts of the
ocean, formed by the collision and subduction
The Earth's magnetic field has diminished by
of tectonic plates. These trenches are often sites
10% over the last 150 years.
of intense volcanic activity and earthquakes.
The magnetic field's poles reverse due to a
Evidence for Seafloor Spreading
change in flow direction in the outer core. As
1. Molten material
lava cools, magnetic minerals align with the
2. Seafloor drill
Earth's magnetic field, capturing the poles'
3. Radiometric age dating and fossil current orientation. They can be found in the
ages ocean floor or ridges.
4. Magnetic stripes
Why is Magnetic Reversal/Magnetic Stripes a
SONAR Technology (Sound Navigation and evidence in Seafloor Spreading Theory?
Ranging) Because this polarity change occurs, scientists
A technology for detecting underwater items may visualize magnetic stripes on the ocean
sent powerful underwater sound waves that floor and create a magnetic polarity time scale.
rebounded down the ocean floor, providing
information about the depth and shape.
 SCIENCE G10 REVIEWER – QUARTER 1
©: Franchesca Nicole Jose – 10-Aristotle (G10 Representative)