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 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
Continental drift theory
The theory that continents 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
Convention current
The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top ant the coole denser parts sink
Convergent
When two tectonic plates come together
Mountains
Uplift of crystal plates that form elevated landmasses
Volcanoes
a vent of fissure in earths surface through which magma and gasses are expelled
Divergent Boundary
when tectonic plates split apart
Fault
Breaks in the crust
Mid-ocean ridge
a long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two oceanic plates
subduction zone
a place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts
Rift valley
a long narrow valley between two diverging continenentalplates