plate tectonics Flashcards
(21 cards)
the solid, outer layer of the Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle
lithosphere
the soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move
asthenosphere
the strong, lower part of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move
mesosphere
the solid, dense center of our planet
inner core
the liquid layer of the Earth’s core
outer core
vibrations caused by earthquakes
seismic waves
the outermost layer of the lithosphere found under the oceans
oceanic crust
the outermost layer of the lithosphere
oceanic crust
the outermost layer of earth’s lithosphere found under land
continental crust
a substance’s mass per unit of volume, d=m/v
density
a german climatologist, geologist, geophysicist, meteorologist, and polar researcher
alfred wegener
the hypothesis that states the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations
continental drift
the boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates
convergent boundary
the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
divergent boundary
the boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
transform boundary
the process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises towards the surface and solidifies
sea-floor spreading
a super continent that existed during the late paleozoic and early mesozoic eras
pangaea
the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the pangaea super continent
laurasia
a large landmass, often referred to as a super continent, that formed during the late neoproterozoic
gondwana
an extinct genus of reptile from the early permian of southern africa and south america
mesosaurus
the largest and best-known genus of the extinct permian order of seed ferns known as glossopteridales
glossopteris
