plate tectonics Flashcards
Lithosphere
the solid outer layer 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. also the layer of the atmosphere and the thermosphere and in which temperature decreases as altitude increases
Inner Core
1230 km thick
solid dense center of earth
Outer Core
2200 km
liquid layer that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core of the earth
Seismic Waves
insides of earth is mapped with seismic waves from earthquakes
Oceanic Crust
the relatively thin part of the earth’s crust that underlies the ocean basins. It is geologically young compared with the continental crust and consists of basaltic rock overlain by sediments.
Density
mass/volume
Alfred Wegener
was a German polar researcher, geophysicist and meteorologist. During his lifetime he was primarily known for his achievements in meteorology
Continental Drift
is the movement of the Earth’s continents relative to each other, thus appearing to “drift” across the ocean bed. The speculation that continents might have ‘drifted’ was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596
Convergent Boundary
s a region of active deformation where two or more tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere are near the end of their life cycle.
Divergent Boundary
is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
Transform Boundary
are places where plates slide sideways past each other
Sea-floor Spreading
is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge.
Pangaea
was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.
Laurasia
was the more northern of two supercontinents that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent around 335 to 175 million years ago.
Gondwana
was a supercontinent that formed from the unification of several cratons in the Late Neoproterozoic, merged with Laurussia in the Carboniferous to form Pangaea, and began to fragment in the Mesozoic. .
Mesoaurus
is an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America. Along with the genera Brazilosaurus and Stereosternum, it is a member of the family Mesosauridae and the order Mesosauria
Glossopteris
is the largest and best-known genus of the extinct order of seed ferns known as Glossopteridales. The genus Glossopteris refers only to leaves, within a framework of form genera used in paleobotany.
