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 outer core (monteln) and inner core (solid)
Tection plate
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the earth, including the crust and upper mantle (lithosphere plates)
Continental Drift Theory
The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions.
Asthenosphere
A thin layer of the earth,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 coole, denser parts sink.
Convergent
When two tectonic plates come together
Mountains
Uplift of Crustal plates that form elevated landmasses
Volcanoes
A vent or fissure in earth’s surface through which magma and gases are expelled
Divergent Boundary
When tectonic split apart
Transform Boundary
When tectonic plates slide each other.
Fault
Breaks in the crust. the movement causes seismic waves which produces earth quakes
Mid-Ocean ridge
A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates.
Subduction zone
A place where where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts . Also forms a trench