plate tectonics Flashcards
(16 cards)
The outermost shell of a rocky planet.
crust
Layer of molten rock between the crust and core
Mantle
Made up mostly of iron. Separated into the inner core and outer core.
core
The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the earth, including the crust and upper mantle (lithospheric plates.
tectonic plate
The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions.
continental drift theory
A thin lay of earth about 150 miles thick, at the border between the mantle and the crust.
Asthenosphere
The process in which the hotter parts of gas rise to the top and the cooler denser parts sink.
convection current
When two tectonic plates come together.
convergent boundary
Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated land masses.
Mountains
A vent or fissure in earth’s surface though which magma and gases are expelled.
volcanos
When tectonic plates split apart.
Divergent boundary
When tectonic plates slide past each other.
Transform boundary
Breaks in the crust. The movement causes seismic waves which produces earthquakes.
fault
a long ridge of volcanic volcanoes detween two
mid ocean plates
A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates.
mid ocean RIdge
A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench .
subduction zone
