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FCSDGeo-Plate Tect
Plate Tectonic vocabulary (3)
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| asthenosphere | part of Earth's interior below the lithosphere that becomes plastic in response to stress |
| basaltic | igneous rock composed mostly of dark-colored, dense minerals containing compounds of iron and magnesium |
| compression waves | P-waves; the fastest of the seismic waves that radiate from an earthquake; can travel through solids |
| conduction | way in which heat energy is transferred through matter by direct contact of molecules |
| continental crust | rocks within the continents, usually a thin layer of sedimentary rocks over granitic rocks, that are lighter than the oceanic crust |
| continental drift | idea that the continents move over Earth's surface like rafts on water |
| convection | circulation of a heated fluid (a liquid or a gas) caused by density currents; a form of heat flow in which the heated material moves |
| convection cell | circular path of convection flow |
| convergent boundary | boundary at which crustal plates collide |
| core | innermost layer of Earth; thought to be composed mostly of iron & nickel |
| crust | thin, outermost layer of the solid Earth |
| divergent boundary | plate boundary at which the plates move apart; an upwelling of material that forms new crust that moves away from the boundary |
| earthquake | natural vibrations, sometimes destructive, that radiate from a sudden movement along a fault zone within Earth or from sudden movements of magma (molten rock) under a volcano |
| epicenter | a location along the Earth's surface that is directly above the focus of an earthquake, where an earthquake is felt most strongly |
| fault | break in the rock of Earth's lithosphere along which there has been displacement (movement) |
| focus | one of two fixed points that determine the shape & position of an ellipse; an earthquake's point of origin within Earth |
| granitic | rocks composed mostly of light-colored, low density minerals like quartz and feldspar |
| hot spot | location where a stationary hot plume of magma breaks through the crust |
| inner core | central portion of the Earth's core that is thought to be composed mostly of iron and nickel in the solid state |
| intensity | strength |
| magnitude | total energy released by an earthquake, measured by the Richter scale |
| mantle | portion of Earth below the crust & above the core |
| mid-ocean ridge | system of submerged mountain ranges that encircles Earth & often connects with mountain ranges on the continents; new crust forms here |
| Moho | interface between Earth's crust & mantle |
| oceanic crust | relatively thin, dense layer of basaltic rock that underlies the ocean sediments and lies on top of the mantle layer |
| ocean trench | an ocean floor depression that marks the zone where crust is being subducted |
| origin time | time when an earthquake occurs at its epicenter |
| outer core | outside portion of the Earth's core that is thought to consist mostly of iron and nickel in the liquid state because S-waves can not go through it |
| Pangaea | ancient supercontinent that broke apart millions of years ago to form the present continents |
| plate boundary | lines along which crustal plates meet and interact |
| plate tectonics | unified theory of crustal motion that incorporates continental drifft and sea-floor spreading; theory that Earth's surface is composed of about a dozen large, rigid plates that carry the continents |
| P-waves | compression (longitudinal) wave that is the fastest of the seismic waves that radiate from an earthquake; can travel through solids & liquids; AKA primary waves |
| radiation | emission & transfer of heat energy by means of electromagnetic waves; only way that energy can travel through space |
| reversed polarity | refers to an igneous rock that was formed at a time in the geologic past when the north & south magnetic poles of the Earth had the opposite polarity that they have at the present |
| rift zone | linear feature of the Earth where new crust is being created |
| Ring of Fire | zone of volcanoes, earthquakes & mountain building that surrounds the Pacific Ocean |
| sea (ocean)-floor spreading | theory that the oceanic crust has been constructed by material from deep within Earth that rises & spreads apart at the mid-ocean ridges |
| seismic wave | vibrational energy that radiates through the Earth from an earthquake |
| seismograph | instrument designed to measure & record the magnitude of an earthquake |
| seismologist | scientist who studies earthquakes |
| seismometer | instrument that detects vibrations in the ground |
| subduction zone | region in which Earth's crust is destroyed as it is pulled down into the mantle |
| subsidence | gradual sinking of a portion of the Earth's crust |
| S-waves | transverse earthquake waves that arrive after the p-waves; cannot travel through a liquid such as Earth's outer core; AKA secondary or shear waves |
| tectonics | study of large-scale deformations of the Earth |
| transform boundary | plate boundary at which crustal plates slide past each other |
| trench (ocean) | ocean floor depression that marks the zone where crust in subducted |
| tsunami | ocean wave or a series of waves usually associated with an undersea earthquake or landslide |
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