Chapter 7 Vocabulary Flashcards
Pangaea
A place where all the continents were once a part of
Continental Drift
Suggests that continents are in constant motion on the surface of the earth
Mid-Ocean Ridge
The mountain ranges in the middle of the oceans
Sea floor spreading
The process which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge
Normal Polarity
A state in which magnetized objects, such as compass needles,will orient themselves to point north
Magnetic Reversal
Occurs and the magnetic field reverses direction
Reversed Polarity
A stat in which magnetized objects would reverse direction and orient themselves to point south
Plate Tectonics
States that Earth’s surface is made of rigid slabs of rock, or plates, that move with respect to each other
Lithosphere
The cold and rigid outermost rock layer
Divergent Plate Boundary
Forms where two plates seperate
Transform Plate Boundary
Forms where two plates slide past each other
Convergent Plate Boundary
Forms where two plates collide
Subduction
The denser the plates sinks below the earth, the more buoyant plate
Convection
The circulation of material caused by differences in temperature and density
Ridge Push
The process where rising mantle material at mid-ocean ridges creates the potential for plates to move away from the ridge
