Chapter 4 Flashcards
the thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle
crust
the layer of rock between the Earth’s crust and core
mantle
the central part of Earth below the mantle
core
the solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle
lithosphere
the soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move
asthenosphere
the strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core
mesosphere
a block of the lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle
tectonic plate
the hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations
continental drift
the process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms and magma rises toward the surface and solidifies
sea-floor spreading
the theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth’s outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape
plate tectonics
the boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates
convergent boundary
the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
divergent boundary
the boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
transform boundary
stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an object
compression
stress that occurs when forces act to stretch an object
tension
