Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Crust
the outermost shell of a rocky planet.
Mantle
The giant layer of molten rock between the crust and core,
Core
Made up of 2 parts of mostly iron, Separated into the outer core and inner core.
Tectonic plates
the layer of rock that make up the outer part of our earth
Continental drift theory
the theory that contenintes gradually drifted over time to their present states
Ashonostmosphere
A thin layer of earth, about 150 miles think, at the border between the mantle and the crust.
Convection Current
The process in which the hotter part of gas or liquid rise to the top and the cooler, denser parts sinks.
Convergent Boundary
when two tectonic plates come together
Mountins
Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated landmasses
Volcanoes
A vent or fissure in Earths surface thought which magma and gasses are expelled
Divergent Boundary
When tectonic plates split apart
Transform Boundary
When tectonic plates slides past each other
Fault
Break in the crust, the movement causes seismic waves which produces earthquakes
MId Ocean Rige
a long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates
Subduction Zone
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts creating a trench
