Plate Tectonics Flashcards
CRUST
the outermost shell of a rocky planet.
MANTLE
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core.
OUTER CORE
made up of mostly molten iron in the center of our earth.
INNER CORE
made up of solid iron, nickel, and other metals. very very very hot. much gravity.
TECTONIC PLATE/LITHOSPHERIC PLATE
the layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the earth. includes the crust and upper mantle.
CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY
the theroy that the continents slowly drifted to where they are now over time.
ATHENOSPHERE
A thin layer of earth, about 150 miles thick at the border between the mantle and the crust.
CONVECTION CURRENT.
the prcoess where hotter parts of a gas go up and the cooler parts sink to the bottom.
CONVERGENT BOUNDARY
the boundary where 2 plates form 1 and come together, right now, over me. ( beatles reference )
MOUNTAINS
Uplisft of crustals plates that form elevated landmass.
VOLCANO
A vent for fissure in earths surface through which magma and gasses are expeled.
DIVERGENT BOUNDARY
when tectonic plates split apart.
TRANSFORM BOUNDRARY
when tectonic plates slide against each other. they do the cha cha slide. :catdance
FAULT
break in the crust. causes seismic waves which causes earthquakes.
SUBDUCTION ZONE
a place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. also forms a trench.
