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Chpt 4 - Tectonic
Chpt 4 - Tectonic Plates
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Mantle | The layer of rock between the Earth's crust and core |
Crust | The thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle |
Core | The central part of the Earth below the mantle |
Lithosphere | The solid, outer layer of the Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle |
Asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move |
Mesosphere | The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core |
Continental Drift | The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations |
Sea-Floor Spreading | The process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies |
Plate Tectonics | The theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth's outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape |
Convergent boundary | the boundary formed by the collision of two lithosphere plates |
Divergent Boundary | The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other |
Transform Boundary | the boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally |
Compression | stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an object |
tension | stress that occurs when fores act to stretch an object |
folding | the bending of rock layers due to stress |
fault | a break in a body of rock along which one block slides relative to another |
uplift | the rising of regions of the Earth's crust to higher elevations |
subsidence | the sinking of regions of the Earth's crust to lower elevations |
tectonic plates | a block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid outermost part of the mantle |