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Plate Tectonics
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Seafloor Spreading | The process by which new oceanic crust forms when magma rises up and solidifies at the mid-ocean ridge |
Subduction | When 1 tectonic plate sinks below another |
Convergent Boundaries | Where 2 plates collide |
Divergent Boundaries | Where 2 plates divide |
Transform Boundaries | Where 2 plates slide |
Lithosphere | The layer made up of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle |
Asthenosphere | The upper layer of Earth’s mantle below the Lithosphere |
Pangaea | The single huge supercontinent that existed millions of years ago when all of Earth’s continents were joined together |
Continental Drift | The theory that all of Earth’s continents were once joined together into a single large landmass and then started drifting away from each other |
Tectonic Plates | Large pieces of the Lithosphere that move on top of the Asthenosphere |