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