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3.2-4 Vocabulary
Convection in the Mantle, Continental Drift, Sea-floor Spreading
Term | Definition |
---|---|
conduction | the direct transfer of thermal energy (heat) from one substance to another substance that it is touching |
continental drift | the hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth's surface |
convection | the transfer of thermal energy (heat) by the movement of fluid |
convection current | the movement of a fluid, caused by differences in temperature, that transfers heat from one part of the fluid to another |
deep-ocean trench | a deep valley along the ocean floor beneath which oceanic crust slowly sinks toward the mantle |
density | the amount of mass of a substance in a given volume; mass per unit volume; mass/volume |
fossil | a trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock |
mid-ocean ridge | an undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced |
Pangaea | the name of the single landmass that broke apart 200 million years ago and gave rise to today's continents |
radiation | the direct transfer of energy through space |
sea-floor spreading | the process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor |
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 trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary |