Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Crust
The outermost shell of a rocky planet.
Mantle
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core.
Core
Made of mostly Iron. Seperated into the outer core and inner core.
Tectonic Plate
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the Earth.
Continental Drift Theory
The theory that continets gradually drifted over time to their present positions
Asthenosphere
A thin layer of Earth, aout 150 miles thick, a the border between the mantle and the crust.
Convection current
The process in which the hotter parts of a gas rise to the top and the cooler, denser parts sink.
Convergent boundary
When two tecnoic plates come together.
Mountains
Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated landmasses
Volcanoes
A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magma and gases are expelled.
Divergent Boundary
When tectoic plates split apart.
Transform Boundary
When tectonnic plates slide past each other.
Fault
A break in the crust, the movement causes seismic wave s which produces earthquakes
Mid-ocean ridge
A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates.
Subduction Zone
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench
