Plate tectonics Flashcards
What are tectonic plates?
Large pieces of the Earth’s crust and upper part of the mantle that have been broken into larger pieces by them.
What is continental drift?
The process by which over millions of years the movement of tectonic plates allows whole continents to shift thousands of kilometres apart.
What are convection currents driven by?
The heat produced by the decay of radioactive elements and heat left over from the formation of the Earth.
What are convection currents?
A movement in the Earth’s Mantle caused by the heat of the core.
What is a plate boundary?
The place where two or more tectonic plates meet.
What forms when two continental plates collide?
collision zones.
What is an earthquake?
A sudden trembling of the ground that releases energy.
What is a volcano?
An entrance in the Earth’s crust.
What is a shockwave?
A fast flow of energy that is sent through the Earth after an earthquake.
What is the epicentre?
The point on the Earth’s surface right above the focus of an earthquake.
What is a tsunami?
A big sea wave caused by the displacement of a large volume of water.
