Plate tectonics Flashcards
Crust
The outermost shell of a rocky planet
Mantle
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core
Core
Made up of mostly iron. Separated into the outer core (molten) and inner core (solid).
tectonic plates
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the earth, including the crust and upper mantle( lithospheric plates)
continental drift theory
The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present position
Asthenosphere
A thin layer of earth about 150 miles thick at the border between the mantle and the crust
Convection current
The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top and the cooler denser parts sink
Convergent boundary
When two tectonics plates come together.
mountains
Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated land masses
Volcanoes
A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magma and gases are expelled
Divergent Boundary
when tectonic plates split apart
transform Boundary
When tectonic plates slide past each other.
Fault
Breaks in the crust the movement causes seismic waves which produces earthquakes.
Mid-ocean ridge
a long rigde of uderwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates.
Subduction zone
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melted also forms a trench.
