plate tectonics Flashcards
lithosphere
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
anthroposphere
The anthroposphere encompasses the total human presence throughout the Earth system including our culture, technology, built environment, and associated activities.
mesosphere
The mesosphere is a layer of Earth’s atmosphere. The mesosphere is directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere.
inner core
nner Core The inner core is a hot, dense ball of (mostly) iron. It has a radius of about 1,220 kilometers (758 miles)
outer core
Earth’s outer core is a fluid layer about 2,260 km (1,400 mi) thick, composed of mostly iron and nickel that lies above Earth’s solid inner core
seismic waves
an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.
oceanic crust
oceanic crust, the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere that is found under the oceans and formed at spreading centres on oceanic ridges, which occur at divergent plate boundaries.
continental crust
continental crust, the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere that makes up the planet’s continents and continental shelves and is formed near subduction zones at plate boundaries between continental and oceanic tectonic plates. The continental crust forms nearly all of Earth’s land surface.Oct 26, 2022
density
Density is the substance’s mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ although the Latin letter D can also be used.
alfred wegener
Alfred Lothar Wegener was a German climatologist, geologist, geophysicist, meteorologist, and polar researcher. Alfred Wegener. Alfred Wegener ca.1924-30.
continental drift
Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth’s continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have “drifted” …
convergent boundary
A convergent boundary is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other, a process known as …
divergent boundary
In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from …
transform boundary
Transform boundaries are places where plates slide sideways past each other. At transform boundaries lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed. Many transform boundaries are found on the sea floor, where they connect segments of diverging mid-ocean ridges. California’s San Andreas fault is a transform boundary.
sea floor spreading
Seafloor spreading is a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth’s lithosphere—split apart from each other. Seafloor spreading and other tectonic activity processes are the result of mantle convection. Mantle convection is the slow, churning motion of Earth’s mantle.Sep 27, 2022
pangea
Pangaea or Pangea (/pænˈdʒiː.ə/) was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier …
luarasia
Laurasia. / (lɔːˈreɪʃə) / noun. one of the two ancient supercontinents produced by the first split of the even larger supercontinent Pangaea about 200 million years ago, comprising what are now North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia (excluding India)See also Gondwanaland, Pangaea.
gondwana
Gondwana was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to …
mesosarurus
What Were the Mesosaurs? During early Permian times (280–290 million years ago), life on land included several amphibians and lizard-like animals that were the ancestors of all the dinosaurs, reptiles, and mammals. Mesosaurus was a lizard-like animal that lived in South America and Africa during the Permian Period.Mar 7, 2019
Glossopteris
Species of Glossopteris were the dominant trees of the middle- to high-latitude lowland vegetation across the supercontinent Gondwana during the Permian Period.
