Plate Tectonics Flashcards
The outermost shell of a rocky planet.
Crust
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core.
Mantle
Made up of mostly iron. Separated into the outer core (molten) and inner core(solid)
Core
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of earth, including the crust and upper mantle(lithosphere plates)
Teutonic plate
The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present position
Continental Drift theory
A thin layer of earth, about 150 miles thick , at the border between the mantle and the crust.
Athenishere
The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top and the cooler, 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 surface through which magma and gasses are expelled.
volcano
When tectonic plates split apart.
Divergent boundary
when tectonic plates slide past each other.
Transform boundary
Breaks in the crust. The movement causes seismic waves which produce earthquakes.
Fault
A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates.
Mid-Ocean Ridge
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench.
Subduction Zone
