Geolegy: Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Crust
Thin, solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle
Mantle
The layer of rock between the Earth’s crust and core
Outer Core
Liquid layer of the core that lies between the mantle and surrounds the inner core
Inner Core
Solid, dense center of Earth
Lithosphere
Outermost rigid layer of the Earth, made of the crust and upper part of the mantle
Asthenosphere
Plastic layer of the mantle on which pieces of lithosphere move. Made of solid, slow flowing rock
Pangea
A single huge continent that Wagner believed broke into current continents. Greek for all Earth
Sea-floor Spreading
Process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface of the Earth
Midocean Ridge
Underwater mountain chains that run through Earth’s ocean basins
Rift Valley
Places in the ocean where the mantle pushes through to form new rock on the ocean
Hot Spot
Volcanically active area of Earth’s surface far from a tectonic plate boundary
Ring of Fire
Area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean
Plate Tectonics
Theory that explains how large pieces of Earth’s outermost layer, collide tectonic plates and change the shape of the asthenosphere
Convergent Boundary
Boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates
Divergent Boundary
Boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
