What is the elastic rebound theory of earthquakes?

What is the elastic rebound theory of earthquakes?

Elastic rebound is what happens to the crustal material on either side of a fault during an earthquake. The idea is that a fault is stuck until the strain accumulated in the rock on either side of the fault has overcome the friction making it stick.

What theory explains how earthquakes occur?

The theory of plate tectonics revolutionized the earth sciences by explaining how the movement of geologic plates causes mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

What is the elastic rebound hypothesis quizlet?

What is the elastic rebound hypothesis? It is where most earthquakes are produced by a rapid release of energy stored in rock that has been subject to great forces. When the strength of the rock is exceeded, it suddenly breaks, releasing some of its stores energy into seismic waves. You just studied 8 terms!

What is the elastic rebound theory quizlet?

Elastic-rebound theory is the concept that earthquakes happen because stresses build up, causing rock to bend elastically until slip on a fault occurs. Stick-slip behavior describes when earthquakes occur due to slip on a preexisting fault.

What is the theory of plate tectonics called?

In 1912 the meteorologist Alfred Wegener described what he called continental drift, an idea that culminated fifty years later in the modern theory of plate tectonics. Wegener expanded his theory in his 1915 book The Origin of Continents and Oceans.

How does the elastic rebound theory explain the occurrence of earthquakes quizlet?

The theory that continuing stress along a fault results in a buildup of elastic energy in the rocks, which is abruptly released when an earthquake occurs.

Which of the following is part of the elastic rebound theory quizlet?

Which of the following is part of the elastic rebound theory? A rock that has been deformed by movement along a fault can suddenly snap back to its original shape.

What was the name of Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis?

In the early 20th century, Wegener published a paper explaining his theory that the continental landmasses were “drifting” across the Earth, sometimes plowing through oceans and into each other. He called this movement continental drift.

What is the theory of plate tectonics quizlet?

Plate Tectonics. A theory that states that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in slow constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle. Fault. Breaks in the Earth's crust where rocks have slipped past each other.

What is elastic rebound theory quizlet?

Elastic rebound theory. IT DESCRIBES THE BUILD UP AND RELEASE OF STRESS DURING AN EARTHQUAKE. Rocks on either side of a fault are locked in place by friction. Rocks will slowly deform over time. When the stress exceeds the strength of the rock, the rocks will fault.

What is elastic rebound quizlet?

Elastic rebound refers to how the slippage along a fault (i.e., earthquake) allows the deformed rock to regain its original shape in a new location.

What is the continental drift hypothesis?

Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were once united into a single supercontinent named Pangaea, meaning all earth in ancient Greek. He suggested that Pangaea broke up long ago and that the continents then moved to their current positions. He called his hypothesis continental drift.

What observation led Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift hypothesis?

Wegener also noticed that if you could shove western Europe and Africa together with North and South America, their coastlines would fit together very neatly. All this evidence led Wegener to believe that the continents were once connected but had separated and drifted apart.

What is the theory of plate tectonics?

Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into large slabs of solid rock, called “plates,” that glide over Earth's mantle, the rocky inner layer above Earth's core. Earth's solid outer layer, which includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, is called the lithosphere.

What is the theory of plate tectonics state?

Plate Tectonics (definition) (Illustrated in Figure 3.25.) • A theory that states that the earth's solid outer shell (lithosphere) broken into large, rigid pieces called plates that can move relative to each other by sliding atop the non-solid asthenosphere.

What is an earthquake quizlet?

Earthquake. sudden shaking of the earth's crust caused by a release of stored energy.

What is the hypothesis of continental drift quizlet?

What is the continental drift hypothesis? Proposed by Alfred Wegener, it states that Earth's continents have moved slowly to their current locations. All the continents were once connected as one landmass that broke apart 250 million years ago. This one landmass is called "Pangea," meaning "all land."

What is the name of Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis about moving landmasses?

continental drift Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's land masses are in constant motion. The realization that Earth's land masses move was first proposed by Alfred Wegener, which he called continental drift.

What forms the basis of Wegener’s continental drift theory?

The theory deals with the distribution of the oceans and the continents. According to Wegener's Continental Drift theory, all the continents were one single continental mass (called a Super Continent) – Pangaea and a Mega Ocean surrounded this supercontinent. The mega ocean is known by the name Panthalassa.

Why is plate tectonics a theory?

Plate tectonics is a theory because it provides an explanation of why and how segments of the earth move and cause earthquakes and mountains and volcanos.

What hypothesis does the theory of plate tectonics come from quizlet?

The plate tectonics theory states that Earth's surface is made up of rigid slabs of rock, or plates, that move with respect to each other. Continental drift was a theory proposed by Alfred Wegener that suggested that the continents are in constant motion on the surface of the Earth.

What causes an earthquake quizlet?

Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake. When two blocks of rock or two plates are rubbing against each other, they stick a little. They don't just slide smoothly; the rocks catch on each other.

What is the source of an earthquake called quizlet?

The focus is the point within Earth where an earthquake starts. The epicenter is the location on the surface directly above the focus.

Which statement best explains the major difference between Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis and the theory of plate tectonics?

Which of the following best explains the difference between continental drift and plate tectonics? Continental drift describes the motion of Earth's continents only; plate tectonics describes the motion of the crust beneath Earth's oceans as well.

What is continental drift hypothesis?

Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were once united into a single supercontinent named Pangaea, meaning all earth in ancient Greek. He suggested that Pangaea broke up long ago and that the continents then moved to their current positions. He called his hypothesis continental drift.

What is drift theory?

Drift theory was originally proposed by Greshem Sykes and David Matza to explain how juvenile delinquents can hold both conventional and deviant values and attitudes. The theory claims that delinquents use techniques of neutralization to rationalize their delinquent and/or deviant behaviors.

What is the continental drift hypothesis quizlet?

What is the continental drift hypothesis? Proposed by Alfred Wegener, it states that Earth's continents have moved slowly to their current locations. All the continents were once connected as one landmass that broke apart 250 million years ago. This one landmass is called "Pangea," meaning "all land."

What is the main cause of an earthquake?

The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel.

Which statement describes the focus of an earthquake?

The focus is the place inside Earth's crust where an earthquake originates. The point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus is the epicenter. When energy is released at the focus, seismic waves travel outward from that point in all directions.

What is the earthquakes source called?

The location below the earth's surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter. Sometimes an earthquake has foreshocks.