Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Crust
The outermost shell of a rocky planet.
Mantle
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core.
Core
Made up mostly Iron. Seperated into the outer core (molten) and inner core (solid).
Tectonic Plate
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle (lithosphere plate).
Continental Drift Theory
The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions,
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 elevate landmasses.
Volcanoes
A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magmas and gasses are expelled.
Divergent Boundary
When tectonic plates split apart.
Transform Boundary
When tectonic plates slide past each other.
Fault
Break in the coast.. The movement caused seismic waves which produces earthquakes.
Mid- Ocean Ridge
A log ride of underwater volcanoes between to diverging oceanic plates.
Subduction Zone
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench.
