Plate Tectonics Vocabulary

Question 1

Crust

Answer 1

The outermost shell of a rocky planet

Question 2

Mantle

Answer 2

Layer of molten rock between the crust and core

Question 3

Core

Answer 3

Made up of mostly Iron seperated into the outer core (molten) & inner core (solid)

Question 4

Techonic Plate

Answer 4

The layer of rock that makes up the outer part of the Earth, including the crust & upper mantle (lithospheric plate)

Question 5

Continental Drift Theory

Answer 5

The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions

Question 6

Asthenosphere

Answer 6

A thin layer of Earth, about 150 miles thick, at the border between the mantle and the crust

Question 7

Convection Current

Answer 7

The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top & the cooler, denser parts sink

Question 8

Convergent Boundary

Answer 8

When 2 tectonic plates come together

Question 9

Mountains

Answer 9

Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated landmasses

Question 10

Volcanoes

Answer 10

A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magma & gases are expelled

Question 11

Divergent Boundary

Answer 11

When tectonic plates split apart

Question 12

Transform Boundary

Answer 12

When tectonic plates slide past through each other

Question 13

Fault

Answer 13

Breaks in the crust; the movement causes seismic waves which produces earthquakes

Question 14

Mid-Ocean Ridge

Answer 14

A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates