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