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Unit 3 Vocab
Plate tectonics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Asthenosphere | The upper mantle (one of Earth's layers) |
| Subduction | When two plates collide, the less denser plate eventually descends below the other |
| Seafloor Spreading | The theory that explains how new oceanic crust formed at ocean-ridges, slowly moved away from ocean ridges, and destroyed at deep sea trenches |
| Mantle convection | The driving mechanism of plate movements (cooler mantle sinks, warmer mantle rises) |
| Ridge push | When older seafloor sinks, the weight of the uplifted ridge is thought to push the oceanic plate towards the trench formed at the subduction zone |
| Slab pull | The weight of the cool, dense subducting plate pulls the trailing slab into the subduction zone |
| Lava | Magma that flows out onto the Earth's surface |
| Magma | Molten material that forms and accumulates beneath the Earth's surface |
| Tectonic Plate | Huge pieces of crust and rigid upper mantle that fit together at their edges to cover the Earth's surface |
| Theory of continental drift | Alfred Wegener's hypothesis that all of the continents were all together at one point (a.k.a. Pangaea) |
| Convergent Boundary | Two tectonic plates colliding towards each other |
| Divergent Boundary | Regions where two tectonic plates move apart |
| Transform Boundary | A region where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other |
| Hot spot | A region of heated magma in the mantle below |
| Epicenter | The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus |
| Focus | The point of failure where the first body waves originate |
| Pangaea | All of the continents fitting together like a puzzle piece |
| Geohazard | Environmental problems that can cause a lot of damage |
| Reverse Fault | Upward vertical movement along a fault plane caused by compression |
| Normal Fault | Downward vertical movement along a fault plane caused by tension |
| Strike-slip Fault | Horizontal movement along a fault plane caused by shear |
| Compression | Stress that decreases the volume of a material |
| Tension | Stress that pulls the material apart |
| Shearing | Stress that causes material to twist |
| Felsic | Igneous rocks (Granite rocks) that are light colored rocks and have high silica components, and contain mostly quartz and feldspar |
| Mafic | Igneous rocks (Basaltic rocks) that are dark colored and have low silica contents, and contain mostly plagiocase and pyroxene |
Created by:
Jazzmine Vick
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