plate tetonic Flashcards
Lithosphere
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Asthenosphere
The asthenosphere is the highly viscous, mechanically weak and ductilely deforming region of the upper mantle of the Earth.
Mesosphere
the region of the earth’s atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere
Inner Core
The Earth’s inner core is the Earth’s innermost part
Outer Core
The outer core of the Earth is a fluid layer
Seismic Waves
an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.
Oceanic Crust
the relatively thin part of the earth’s crust which underlies the ocean basins. It is geologically young compared with the continental crust and consists of basaltic rock overlain by sediments.
Continental Crust
the relatively thick part of the earth’s crust that forms the large landmasses. It is generally older and more complex than the oceanic crust.
Density
the volumetric mass density
Alfred Wegener
made the theory of pangaea
Continental Drift
the gradual movement of the continents across the earth’s surface through geological time.
Convergent Boundary
A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving toward each other.
Divergent Boundary
Divergent boundaries in the middle of the oceans cause seafloor spreading.
transform fault
A transform fault or transform boundary is a plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal
Sea-floor Spreading
the sea floor spreading
