Tectonic Plates Flashcards
Lithosphere
the rigid outer part of the earth
Asthenosphere
the upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere
Mesosphere
above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere
Inner Core
the Earth’s innermost part
Outer Core
composed of mostly iron and nickel
Seismic Waves
an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.
Oceanic Crust
relatively thin part of the earth’s crust that underlies the ocean basins
Continental Crust
relatively thick part of the earth’s crust that forms the large landmasses
Density
the degree of compactness of a substance
Wegener
came up with Continental Drift
Continental Drift
The thing that states that continenets were once pieced together but later drifted apart
Convergent Boundary
an actively deforming region where two (or more) tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere move toward one another
Divergent Boundary
a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
Transform Boundary
a type of fault whose relative motion is predominantly horizontal,
Sea-floor Spreading
the formation of new areas of oceanic crust
