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Plate Tectonics
Earth's interior, Sea floor spreading, Plate Tectonics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats. |
| basalt | A dark, dense, igneous rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust. |
| conduction | The transfer of heat by direct contact of particles of matter. |
| constructive force | A force that builds up mountains and landmasses on Earth's surface. |
| continent | A great landmass surrounded by oceans. |
| continental drift | The hypothesis that the continents slowly mover across Earth's surface. |
| convection | The transfer of heat by movements of a heated fluid. |
| convection current | The movement of a fluid,caused by differences in temperature, that transfers heat from one part of the fluid to another. |
| convergent boundary | A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other. |
| crust | The layer of rock that forms Earth's outer surface. |
| deep-ocean trench | A deep valleyalong the ocean floor through which oceanic crust slowly sinks towards the mantle |
| density | The amount of mass in a given space: mass per unit volume |
| destructive force | A force that slowly wears away mountains and other features on the surface of Earth |
| divergent boundary | A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other |
| fault | A break in Earth's crust where slabsd of rock slip past each other |
| fossil | A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock |
| Geologist | A scientist who studies the forces that make and shape planet Earth |
| geology | The study of planet Earth |
| granite | A usually light-colored rock that is found in continental crust |
| heat transfer | The movement of energy from a warmer object to a cooler object |
| inner core | A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel in the center of Earth |
| lithosphere | A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust |
| mantle | The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core |
| mid-ocean ridge | The undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced: a divergent plate boundary |
| outer core | A layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of the Earth |
| Pangaea | The name of a single landmass that broke apart 200 million years ago ad gave rise to today's continents |
| plate | A section of the lithosphere that slowly moves over the asthenosphere, carrying pieces of continental and oceanic crust |
| plate tectonics | The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle |
| pressure | The amount of force pushing on a surface or area |
| radiation | The transfer of energy through empty space |
| rift valley | A deep valley that forms where two plates move apart |
| rock | The material that forms Earth's hard surface |
| scientific theory | A well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations |
| sea-floor spreading | The process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor |
| seismic waves | A vibration that travels through Earth carrying the energy released during an Earthquake |
| sonar | A device that determines the distance of an object under water by recording echoes of sound waves |
| subduction | The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trnach and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary |
| transform boundary | A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions |
Created by:
skbaird
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