Plate Tectonics Vocabulary

Question 1

Crust

Answer 1

The outermost shell of a rocky planet.

Question 2

Mantle

Answer 2

Layer of molten rock between the crust and core.

Question 3

Core

Answer 3

Made up of mostly Iron. Separated into the outer core (molten) and inner core (solid).

Question 4

Tectonic Plate

Answer 4

The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle (lithosphere plates.)

Question 5

Continental Drift theory

Answer 5

The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions.

Question 6

Asthenosphere

Answer 6

A thin layer of Earth, about 1,500 miles thick, at the border between the mantle and the crust.

Question 7

Convection Current

Answer 7

The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top and the cooler; dense parts sink.

Question 8

Convergent Boundary

Answer 8

When two tectonic plates come together.

Question 9

Mountains

Answer 9

Uplift or crustal plates that form elevated landmasses.

Question 10

Volcanoes

Answer 10

A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magma gases are expelled.

Question 11

Divergent Boundary

Answer 11

When tectonic plates split apart.

Question 12

Transform Boundary

Answer 12

When tectonic plates slide past each other.

Question 13

Fault

Answer 13

Breaks in the crust. The movement causes seismic waves which produce earthquakes.

Question 14

Mid-Ocean Ridge

Answer 14

A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates.

Question 15

Subduction Zone

Answer 15

A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench.

Question 16

Rift Valley

Answer 16

A long narrow valley between two diverging continental plates.