Plate Tectonics Flashcards
The outermost shell of s rocky planet
crust
The layer of molten rock between the crust and core
Mantle
Made up of mostly iron. the outer is (molten) and the inner (Solid)
core
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the Earth, including the crust and the mantle
Tectonic plate
The theory is that continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions.
Continental Drift Theory
A thin layer of Earth, about 150 miles thick, is underneath the border between the mantle and the crust.
Athenosphere
The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top and the cooler, the denser parts sink
Convection current
When two tectonic plates come together
Convergent Boundary
Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated landmasses
Mountains
A vent or fissure in Earth’s surfaces through which magma and gases are expelled
Volcanos
When tectonic plates split apart
Divergent boundary
When tectonic plates slide past each other
Transform boundaries
Breaks in the crust. The movement causes seismic waves which produce earthquakes.
fault
A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two divergent oceanic plates
mid-ocean ridge
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench..
subduction zone.
