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 outercore (molten) and (inner) core (solid).
tectonic plate
The layer of the rock thatmakes up the outer part of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle(lithospheric plates).
Continental drift theory
The theory that contunets 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 coolr, denser parts sink.
Convergent boundary
When two techtonic plates come together.
Mountains
Volcano
A vent or fissure in Earths surface through which magma and gas are expelled.
Divergent boundary
When teconic plates split apart.
Fault
braeks in the crust. the movement causes seismic waves 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
Rift valley
A long narrow valley between two diverging continetial plates.
