Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Crust
The outermost shell of a rocky planet.
Mantle
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core.
Asthenosphere
A thin layer earth about 150 miles thick at the border between the mantle and the crust
Core
Made up of mostly Iron. Separated into the outer core (molten) and inner core (solid)
Tectonic Plates
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle (lithospheric plates).
Continental Drift Theory
The theory that continents gradually drifted over times to their present positions.
Convection Current
the process in which the hotter parts of ga or liquid rise to the top and the cooler denser parts sink
convergent boundary
When to tectonic plates come together
mountains
uplift of crystals plates that form elevated landmasses
volcanoes
A vent of fissure in earths surface though which magma and grass are expelled
divergent boundary
when tectonic plates split apart
Transform boundary
when tectonic plates slide past each other
fault
Breaks in the crust. The movement causes seismic waves which produces earthquakes
Mid-Ocean Ridge
A long ridge of volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates
Subduction Zone
A place where one tectonic plates sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench