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Science Vocab
Plate Tectonics Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
divergent boundary | when two tectonic plates are moving away from each other |
convergent boundary | when two tectonic plates are moving towards each other |
transform boundary | when two tectonic plates are sliding against each other in opposite directions |
subside | to sink |
continental drift | the gradual movement of the continents across the earth's surface |
seafloor spreading | the formation of new areas of oceanic crust |
convection currents | a current in a fluid that results from convection |
boundary | a dividing line |
Pangea | a supercontinent |
rift | a crack or a split |
ridge | a long narrow hilltop, mountain range, or watershed |
trench | a long narrow ditch |
fault | fracture in the continuity of a rock formation caused by shifting of dislodging of the earth's crust |
Theory of Plate Tectonics | outer rigid layer of the earth is divided into a couple of dozen plates that moves across the earth's surface relative to each other |