What is continental rifting quizlet?
continental rifts. – zones of lithospheric deformation & normal faulting. – form due to tensional stresses in the lithosphere.
Which type of tectonic boundary is the result of two tectonic plates colliding with each other?
convergent plate boundary If two tectonic plates collide, they form a convergent plate boundary. Usually, one of the converging plates will move beneath the other, a process known as subduction.
Which type of rock would you find around continental rifts?
Peralkaline rhyolites are common in continental rift settings, although they also occur in oceanic island settings, and our discussion here includes such settings. In nearly all cases, peralkaline rhyolites are associated with mildly alkaline silica-saturated basalts, hawaiites, mugearites, and trachytes.
Do divergent plate boundaries begin as continental rifting events?
Divergent plate boundaries can occur within continental lithosphere, where they are know as continental rifts, the centers along which continents break apart, sometimes to spawn new ocean basins.
Which of the following are causes of continental rifting?
Rifting can be caused when hot material from a mantle plume reaches the base of a continental plate and causes the overlying lithosphere to heat up. In addition to this the uwards movement of the plume against the base of the plate results in extensional forces, which can cause rifting.
Which of the following are causes of continental rifting quizlet?
Ascension of magma causes uplift of the crust. Stretching of the crust causes crustal blocks to drop into faults, forming a rift.
Which of the following forces have moved the continents over time?
1 Answer. The theory of plate tectonics suggests that it is convection currents in the mantle of the earth that causes the movement of the continental plates.
Which forms when two plates carrying continental crust slide past each other?
When oceanic or continental plates slide past each other in opposite directions or move in the same direction but at different speeds a transform fault boundary is formed. No new crust is created or subducted and no volcanoes form but earthquakes occur along the fault.
How are rifts formed?
Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear depression may subsequently be further deepened by the forces of erosion. More generally the valley is likely to be filled with sedimentary deposits derived from the rift flanks and the surrounding areas.
How do continental rift valleys form?
When tectonic plates interact with one another, they create plate boundaries. In particular, rift valleys are formed when continental plates move away from each other; moreover, the two continental plates diverge.
What plate movement causes rifts?
Divergent plate boundaries, which are associated with the formation of rift valleys, occur when plates move away from one another. Convergent plate boundaries move toward one another, pushing into one another and are likely to create mountain ranges.
How are rifts caused?
A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth's tectonic plates move apart, or rift. Rift valleys are found both on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading.
What force causes folding?
Compressive forces 10.6a: Compressive forces generate folding and faulting as a consequence of shortening. Compressive forces are common along convergent plate boundaries resulting in mountain ranges.
What forces are responsible for continental drift?
The processes of seafloor spreading, rift valley formation, and subduction (where heavier tectonic plates sink beneath lighter ones) were not well-established until the 1960s. These processes were the main geologic forces behind what Wegener recognized as continental drift.
What is the force that moves continents and tectonic plates?
Heat and gravity are fundamental to the process The energy source for plate tectonics is Earth's internal heat while the forces moving the plates are the “ridge push” and “slab pull” gravity forces.
What force caused the movement of the continents?
1 Answer. The theory of plate tectonics suggests that it is convection currents in the mantle of the earth that causes the movement of the continental plates.
What force causes the movement of the continents from one supercontinent?
Explain what force caused the movement of the continents from one supercontinent to their present positions. The force of convection currents in the mantle caused the movements of the plates that carry the continents.
What is the continental rifting?
A continental rift is conventionally described as a thinning process of the lithosphere ultimately leading to the rupture of the continent and the formation of a mid-oceanic ridge. Rifting is the initial and fundamental process by which the separation of two continents into two tectonic plates takes place.
Whats a continental rift?
Definition. A continental rift (Gregory, 1894; Quennell, 1982, 1985) is a fault-bounded elongate trough under or near which the entire thickness of the lithosphere (see Lithosphere, Continental ; Lithosphere, Mechanical Properties ) has been reduced in extension during its formation.
What type of force creates rift valleys?
tectonic plates A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth's tectonic plates move apart, or rift. Rift valleys are found both on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading.
How are continental rift valleys formed?
When tectonic plates interact with one another, they create plate boundaries. In particular, rift valleys are formed when continental plates move away from each other; moreover, the two continental plates diverge.
What causes folding and faulting?
Compression forces can cause mountains to form or earthquakes to occur depending on how the Earth's crust reacts to the force. When the Earth's crust is pushed together via compression forces, it can experience geological processes called folding and faulting.
How are folds formed?
Fold mountains are created where two or more of Earth's tectonic plates are pushed together. At these colliding, compressing boundaries, rocks and debris are warped and folded into rocky outcrops, hills, mountains, and entire mountain ranges. Fold mountains are created through a process called orogeny.
How were the continents formed?
In 1912, German scientist Alfred Wegener proposed a theory he called continental drift. According to Wegener's theory, Earth's continents once formed a single, giant landmass, which he called Pangaea. Over millions of years, Pangaea slowly broke apart, eventually forming the continents as they are today.
What is pole fleeing force and tidal force?
Centrifugal force increases as we move from poles towards the equator. This increase in centrifugal force has led to pole fleeing, according to Wegener. Tidal force is due to the attraction of the moon and the sun that develops tides in oceanic waters (tides explained in detail in oceanography).
What force moves the continents?
1 Answer. The theory of plate tectonics suggests that it is convection currents in the mantle of the earth that causes the movement of the continental plates.
What force is responsible for the movement of continental plates?
Tremendous heat and pressure within the earth cause the hot magma to flow in convection currents. These currents cause the movement of the tectonic plates that make up the earth's crust.
Where are continental rifts?
Major rifts occur along the central axis of most mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust and lithosphere is created along a divergent boundary between two tectonic plates. Failed rifts are the result of continental rifting that failed to continue to the point of break-up.
How are faults formed?
A fault is formed in the Earth's crust as a brittle response to stress. Generally, the movement of the tectonic plates provides the stress, and rocks at the surface break in response to this.
What types of forces create a set of folds?
10.6a: Compressive forces generate folding and faulting as a consequence of shortening. Compressive forces are common along convergent plate boundaries resulting in mountain ranges.