click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Plate Tectonics
Unit 4
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Crust | Thin, outermost part of the Earth that sits on top of the mantle. |
| Core | The central, innermost part of the Earth. |
| Mantle | The layer of rock between the crust and the core. |
| Lithosphere | The crust and the upper part of the mantle; contains tectonic plates |
| Asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which tectonic plates move. |
| Mesosphere | The lower part of the mantle. |
| Tectonic Plate | Block of lithosphere that moves on the asthenosphere. |
| Continental Drift | Wegener's hypothesis that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations. |
| Sea-floor Spreading | The process that creates new ocean crust as magma rises towards the surfaces and solidifies. |
| Plate Tectonics Theory | Explains how Earth's outermost layers move and change shape. |
| Convergent Boundary | Boundary formed by the collision of two plates. |
| Divergent Boundary | Boundary between two plates that are moving apart. |
| Transform Boundary | Boundary between plates that are sliding past each other. |
| Compression | Stress that squeezes |
| Tension | Stress that stretches |
| Folding | Bending of rock layers |
| Fault | Break in the Earth's crust alond which one block slides relative to another |
| Uplift | The rising of the crust to higher elevations. |