plate tectonics Flashcards
the idea that the earth’s crust and upper mantle are broken into sections called plates that move around on the mantle
theory of plate tectonics
how are plates driven?
by gravity and by cooling of earth (convection)
tectonic plates are also called
lithospheric plates
how thicc are tectonic plates?
100km
the earth once had a single land mass called PANGAEA that broke apart into pieces that drifted away to become major continents
theory of continental drift
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largest geological features on the planet that is resulted by an oceanic divergent plate boundary
mid ocean ridge
mostly underwater mountain range in the atlantic ocean
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR)
Continental Divergent plate boundary
rift valley
volcanic island arcs, trenches & earthquakes occur when older ocean plate subducts a younger ocean plate. Ex. Mariana Trench
ocean-ocean convergent boundary
Mountains, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes occur. The oceanic plate melts; less dense magma rises to form volcanoes Ex: Andes, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada
Ocean-Continent Convergent boundary
Mountains form and earthquakes occur. Ex: Himalayas and Alps
Continent-Continent Convergent boundary
San Andreas Fault in California
Strike-Slip Fault or Transform Fault
bending, tilting, and breaking of the Earth’s crust. Its major cause is plate tectonics
deformation
force per unit area applied on the rock
stress
