Earth Science Flashcards
Lithosphere
the earths crust which includes landforms rocks and soil. It is mostly solid rock.
Asthenosphere
below the lithosphere, and estimated as being from fifty to several hundred miles (eighty-five to several hundred kilometers) thick.
Mantle
thick layer inside the Earth and below the crust. Most of the mantle is solid rock, the upper part is molten rock called magma.
Core
the central region of the Earth; it extends fourteen hundred to eighteen hundred miles from the Earth’s center
Seismic waves
The waves of energy that travel through the Earth’s crust. Thy are cause by earthquakes
Continental drift
movement of the plates of the Earth’s crust in relation to each other
Pangea
a super-continent that existed about 225 million years ago.
Panthalassa
the vast sea surrounding the supercontinent of Pangaea
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Plate tectonics
the theory concerning the movement of the continental plates
Convection crust
circular movement that occurs when warmer, less dense fluid particles rise and cooler, denser fluid particles sink
Continental crust
the plates of the Earth’s crust that make up the land
Oceanic crust
one of the types of crust that makes up the Earth’s outer layer. Oceanic crust is thinner than continental crust and made up of dense, heavy rocks such as basalt
Boundaries
the edges of tectonic plates
Subduction
process in which two tectonic plates push against each other, and oceanic crust sinks below the less dense continental crust
