Plate Tectonic Vocabulary

Question 1

Crust

Answer 1

The outermost shell of a rocky planet

Question 2

Mantle

Answer 2

Layer of molten rock between the crust and core

Question 3

Core

Answer 3

Made up of mostly iron. Separated into the outer core (molten) and inner core (solid)

Question 4

Tectonic Plate

Answer 4

The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle (lithosphere plate)

Question 5

Subduction Zone

Answer 5

A plate where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench.

Question 6

Continental Drift Theory

Answer 6

The theory that the continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions.

Question 7

Rift Valley

Answer 7

A long narrow valley between two diverging continental plates.

Question 8

Asthenosphere

Answer 8

A thin layer of Earth, about 150 miles thick, at the border between the mantle and the crust.

Question 9

Convection Center

Answer 9

The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or a liquid rise to the top and cooler, denser parts sink.

Question 10

Convection Current

Answer 10

The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top and the cooler, denser parts sink.

Question 11

Convergent Boundary

Answer 11

When two tectonic plates come together

Question 12

Mountains

Answer 12

Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated landmasses

Question 13

Volcanoes

Answer 13

A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magma and gases are expelled

Question 14

Divergent Boundary

Answer 14

When tectonic plates split apart

Question 15

Transform Boundary

Answer 15

When tectonic plates slide past each other.

Question 16

Fault

Answer 16

Breaks in the crust. The movement causes seismic waves which produce earthquakes

Question 17

Mid-Ocean Ridge

Answer 17

A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates