Plate Tectonics Vocabulary Flashcards
Crust
The outermost shell of a rocky planet.
Mantle
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core.
Core
Made up mostly of iron. Separated into the outer core (Molten) and inner core.
Tectonic Plates
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the earth, it includes the crust and the upper mantle. (lithospheric)
Continental Drift Theory
The theory that the continents gradually drifted overtime to their present positions.
Asthenosphere
A thin layer of Earth, about 150 miles thick, at the border between the mantle and the crust.
Convection Current
The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top and cool denser parts.
Convergent Boundary
When two tectonic plates come together.
Mountains
Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated land masses.
Volcanoes
A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magma and gasses are expelled.
Divergent Boundary
When tectonic plates split apart.
Transform Boundary
When tectonic plates slide past each other.
Fault
Break in the crust the movement causes seismic waves which produces earthquakes.
Mid ocean ridge
Mid-Ocean ridge of underwater volcanoes between 2 diverging oceanic plates.
Subduction Zone
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench.
