Chapter 15 vocab

Question 1

Mantle

Answer 1

the layer of rock between the earth’s crust and core

Question 2

core

Answer 2

the central part of the earth below the mantle

Question 3

lithosphere

Answer 3

the solid, outer layer of the earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle

Question 4

Mesosphere

Answer 4

the strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core

Question 5

Asthenosphere

Answer 5

the soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move.

Question 6

tectonic plate

Answer 6

a block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle

Question 7

continental drift

Answer 7

the hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations

Question 8

sea floor spreading

Answer 8

the process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies

Question 9

convergent boundary

Answer 9

the boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates

Question 10

divergent boundary

Answer 10

the boundary between 2 tectonic plates that are moving away from each other

Question 11

transform boundary

Answer 11

the boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally

Question 12

convection

Answer 12

hot rock from deep within the earth rises, but cooler rock near the surface sinks. This causes the oceanic lithosphere to move sideways and away from the mid-ocean ridge.

Question 13

subduction

Answer 13

when one plate dives beneath each other due to a convergent boundary

Question 14

crust

Answer 14

the thin and solid outermost layer of the earth above the mantle