Earth Science Flashcards
Lithosphere
The rough outer part of the earth, consisting also the upper most of the mantle.
Asthenosphere
The upper layer of the earths mantle, located below the lithosphere, plastic flow and convection is thought to occur
Core
The core is made primarily of iron and nickel and has two parts, an inner solid core and an outer liquid core
Seismic waves
waves of energy that travel through the Earth’s crust, caused by earthquakes
Continental drift
movement of the plates of the Earth’s crust in relation to each other
Pangaea
a super-continent that existed about 225 million years ago. All of the landmasses that existed at this time were joined together to form this super-continent.
Panthalassa
The vast sea surrounding the supercontinent of Pangaea
Plate tectonics
the theory concerning the movement of the continental plates
Convection current
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
Destructive plate boundaries
Destructive plate boundaries: a convergent boundary where two plates collide
Hotspots
a localised place where an activity occurs