Plate Tectonic Flashcards
(20 cards)
lithosphere
the solid outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle
asthenosphere
the soft layer of the mantle of which the tectonic plates move
mesosphere
the strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core
inner core
the innermost geologic layer of Earth
outer core
the only liquid layer and made up of mostly metals such as iron and nickel
seismic waves
a wave of energy that travels through the Earth and away from an earthquake in all directions
oceanic crust
the relatively thin part of Earth’s crust, the layer that lies beneath the ocean basin
continental crust
the relatively thick part of Earth’s crust that forms the large landmasses
density
the ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance
Alfred Wegener
German polar researcher, geophysicist, and meteorologist
continental drift
the hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up and drifted to their present locations
convergent boundary
the boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheres or movement of a liquid or gas
divergent boundary
the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
transform boundary
the boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
sea-floor spreading
the process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies
Pangaea
a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras
Gondwana
a supercontinent that existed until the Jurrasic period when it began to break up
Mesosaurus
an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian in southern Africa and South America
Glossopteris
the largest and best-known genus of the extinct Permain order of seed ferns
Laurasia
the more northern of the supercontinents
