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Year 9 NSW
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The Big Bang and our universe
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Plate tectonics
Topic : Plate tectonics
In this topic you will learn...
Chapter 1 :
The Earth and its plates
The Earth's crust and the upper layer of the mantle make up the lithosphere
Large areas of land are called continents
Gondwana was an ancient continent
The Earth's crust is divided into about 28 large, slowly-moving plates, called tectonic plates
Tectonic plates are constantly moving and interacting with each other, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
Chapter 2 :
Volcanoes
A volcano is a mountain where hot gases and molten rocks come through the Earth's crust
The mixture of molten rock, crystals and dissolved gases from the mantle is called magma
When magma erupts on to the Earth's surface, it is called lava
A volcano consists of a vent, pipe, crater and cone
Large, slowly-erupting volcanoes are called shield volcanoes
A large steep-sided volcano made from many layers of lava and rock pieces is called a strato volcano
Underwater volcanoes are called submarine volcanoes
Chapter 3 :
Earthquakes
Most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen along the boundaries of tectonic plates
The most tectonically-active area on Earth is the Pacific Ring of Fire
The shaking and vibrating of the Earth's surface is called an earthquake
The underground starting point of an earthquake is called the focus
The aboveground starting point of an earthquake is called the epicentre
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This topic includes
8 colour images
3 flash animations
1 final exam
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