earths layers Flashcards
outermost earth layer
lithosphere
2nd outermost layer
Asthenosphere
above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere
mesosphere
hot molten center of the earth
inner core
also molten 2nd inner layer
outer core
an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.
Seismic Waves
relatively thin part of the earth’s crust that underlies the ocean basins
Oceanic Crust
the relatively thick part of the earth’s crust that forms the large landmasses
Continental Crust
the degree of compactness of a substance.
density
German polar researcher, geophysicist and meteorologist
Alfred Wegener
movement of the Earth’s continents relative to each other
Continental Drift
a region of active deformation where two or more tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere are near the end of their life cycle.
Convergent Boundary
a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
Divergent Boundary
where plates slide sideways past each other
Transform Boundary
new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity
Sea-floor Spreading
a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.
Pangaea
more northern of two supercontinents that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent around 335 to 175 million years ago.
Laurasia
a supercontinent that formed from the unification of several cratons in the Late Neoproterozoic, merged with Laurussia in the Carboniferous to form Pangaea, and began to fragment in the Mesozoic
Gondwana
an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America
mesosauras
the largest and best-known genus of the extinct order of seed ferns known as Glossopteridales
Glossopteris
