Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Outermost rigid layer of the Earth
Lithosphere
A plastic layer of the mantle on which pieces of the lithosphere move.
Asthenosphere
Strong lower part of the mantle.
Mesosphere
Solid dense center of our planet that extends from the bottom of the outer core to the center of the Earth.
Inner Core
liquid layer of the Earths core that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core
Outer Core
caused by the sudden movement of materials within the Earth, such as slip along a fault during an earthquake.
Seismic Waves
the outermost solid layer of the lithospheric tectonic plates under the oceans that covers much of the Earth’s surface.
Oceanic Crust
the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere that makes up the planet’s continents and continental shelves
Continental Crust
the number of things—which could be people, animals, plants, or objects—in a certain area.
Density
German meteorologist and geophysicist who formulated the first complete statement of the continental drift hypothesis.
Alfred Wegener
The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single land mass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations
Continental Drift
the boundry formed by the collision of two lithosphere plates
Convergent Boundary
the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
Divergent Boundary
the boundary between the=e tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
Transform Boundary
The process by which new Oceania lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies
Sea-floor Spreading
