Rock cycle Flashcards
(31 cards)
What are mid-ocean ridges?
long, narrow mountain range on the ocean floor; formed by magma at divergent plate boundaries.
What are ocean trenches?
a deep, underwater trough created by one plate subducting under another plate at a convergent plate boundary.
What is sea-floor spreading?
the process by which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge.
What is magma?
molten rock stored below earth’s surface.
What is lava?
magma that erupts onto earth’s surface.
What is a tectonic plate?
gigantic pieces of the Earth’s crust and uppermost mantle.
What is a convergent boundary?
the boundary between two plates that move toward each other.
What is a divergent boundary?
the boundary between two plates that move away from eachother.
What is a transform boundary?
the boundary between two plates that slide past each other.
What is subduction?
the process that occurs when one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate.
What is a fault?
a crack or a fracture in earth’s lithosphere along which movement occurs.
What is a volcano?
a vent in earth’s crust through which molten rock flows.
What is a volcanic arc?
a curved line of volcanoes that forms parallel to a plate boundary.
What is an earthquake?
vibrations caused by the rupture and sudden movement of rocks along a break or crack in earth’s crust.
What is a fault zone?
an area of many fractured pieces of crust along a large fault.
What is a landslide?
rapid, downhill movement of soil, loose rocks, and boulders.
What is a tsunami?
a wave that forms when an ocean disturbance suddenly moves a large volume of water.
What is an impact crater?
a round depression formed on the surface of a planet,moon, or other space object by the impact of a meteorite.
What is weathering?
the mechanical and chemical processes that change earth’s surface over time.
What is erosion?
the moving of weathered material, or sediment, from one location to another.
What is deposition?
the laying down or settling of eroded material.
What is a glacier?
a large mass of ice, formed by snow accumulation on land, that moves slowly across earth’s surface.
What is a rock?
a naturally occurring solid composed of minerals, rock fragments, and sometimes other materials such as organic matter.
What is a mineral?
a naturally occurring , inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition.
