plate techtonics Flashcards
crust
the outermost shell of a rocky planet
mantle
layers of molten rock bbetweem the crust and core
core
made up of mostly iron.separated into our outer core molten and inner core
tectonic plates
the layer that makes up the outer part of the earth that includes the crust and mantle
continental drift theory
the theory the continents gradually drifted over time to their present potions
asthenosphere
a thin layer of earth about 150 miles thick, at the border between the mantle and the crust
convection current
the processes in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid ruse to the top and the , denser parts sink
convergent boundary
when two tectonic plates come together
mountains
uplift of crustal plates the form elevated landmasses
volcanos
a vent or fissure in earth’s surface in earths surface through which through which magma and gases are expelled
divergent boundary
when tectonic plates split apart
transform boundary
when tectonic plates side past each other
fault
breakin on the crust . the movement that cause seismic waves that cause earthquakes
mid-ocean ridge
a long ridge of under water volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates
subduction zone
a place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts.also forms a trench