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Plate Tectonics
Unit 7 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Asthenosphere | Layer on which the lithospheric plates float around |
| Continental Drift | Process of the continents drifting apart |
| Lithosphere | 100-kilometer-thick, rigid layer of Earth's surface |
| Pangaea | Island of early Earth |
| Plate | A large section of Earth's crust |
| Plate Tectonics | Earth's crust and mantle are broken into layers |
| Seafloor Spreading | Ocean floors formed by magma being forced upward |
| Earthquake | A tremor caused by movement of tectonic plates |
| Epicenter | Location directly above an earthquake's focus |
| Fault | When rocks break |
| Focus | Energy is released in seismic waves |
| Magnitude | Measure of energy during an earthquake |
| Normal Fault | Break in rock caused by tension forces |
| Reverse Fault | Break in rock caused by compressive forces |
| Seismic Wave | Earthquake-generated waves |
| Seismograph | Used to register earthquake waves |
| Strike-Slip Fault | Break in rock caused by shear forces |
| Tsunami | Seismic sea wave |
| Batholith | Largest intrusive igneous rock body |
| Caldera | Forms when a volcano's top collapses |
| Cinder Cone Volcano | Steep-sided volcano |
| Dike | A type of feature of igneous rock |
| Hot Spot | Unusually hot area between Earth's core and crust |
| Shield Volcano | Volcano formed by quiet eruptions of basaltic lava |
| Sill | Igneous rock feature formed when magma is squeezed into cracks in horizontal layers |
| Volcano | Opening in Earth's crust where lava can flow out |