Plate Tectonics Flashcards
Divergent Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other
Convergent Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move towards each other
Transform Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions
Subduction
The process by which oceanic sinks beneath a deep ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary
Plate Tectonics
A theory stating that earth’s surface is broken into plates that move
Faults
A break in earth’s crust
Rift Valley
A deep valley that forms where two plates move apart
Convection Current
A current caused by the rising of heated fluid and sinking of cooled fluid
Continental Crust
A solid, thin outermost layer of earth under the continents
Oceanic Crust
Earth’s crust located under the oceans (denser than continental crust)
Pangaea
A supercontinent containing all of earth’s land that existed about 225 million years ago
