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6th Grade
Science - Tectonic Plates
Term | Definition |
---|---|
tectonic plate | a block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle |
continental drift | the hypothesis that the continents once formed a single land mass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations |
Pangaea | the landmass that existed when all continents were joined |
Sea-floor spreading | process of new ocenaic crust forming as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies |
mid-ocean ridge | place where sea-floor spreading takes place |
Theory of Plate Tectonics | theory that explains how large pieces of Earth's outermost layer, the tectonic plates, moves and change shape |
convergent boundary | boundary formed by the collision of two tectonic plates |
divergent boundary | boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other |
transform boundary | boundary between two tectonic plates that are scraping past each other horizontally |
Ring of Fire | a ring of fire around the Pacific Plate |