Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Mantle
The layer of rock between the Earth’s Crust and core.
Crust
The thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle.
Core
The central part of the Earth below the mantle.
Lithosphere
The solid, outer later of the Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.
Asthenosphere
The soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move.
Mesosphere
The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core.
Tectonic Plate
A block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle.
Continental Drift
The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations.
Sea-floor Spreading
The process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies.
Plate Tectonics
The theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth’s outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape.
Convergent Boundry
The boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates.
Divergent Boundary
The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
Transform Boundary
The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally.
Tension
Stress that occurs when forces act to stretch an object.
Folding
The bending of rock layers due to stress.
