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Plate Tectonics Term
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Plate tectonics | Theory that earth’s surface is broken into large, rigid pieces that move with respect to each other. |
| Continental drift | Wegener’s hypothesis that suggests the continents are in constant motion on earth’s surface. |
| Convergent boundary | the boundary between two plates that move toward each other. |
| Divergent boundary | The boundary between two plates that move away from each other. |
| Transform boundary | The boundary between two plates that slide past each other. |
| Subduction zone | the area where one plate slides under another plate. |
| Compression | The squeezing force at a convergent boundary. |
| Tension | the pulling force at a divergent boundary |
| Shear | parallel forces acting in opposite directions at a transform boundary. |
| Earthquake | vibrations caused by the rupture and sudden movement of rocks along a break or a crack in earth's crust |
| Fault | A crack or a fracture in earth's lithosphere along which movement occurs. |
| Mid-ocean ridge | a long, narrow mountain range on the ocean floor; formed by magma at divergent plate boundaries. |
| Hot spot | a location where volcanoes form far from plate boundaries. |
| Lava flow | long stream of molten rock. |
| Volcanic ash | tiny particles of pulverized volcanic rock and glass. |
| Caldera | large depression formed when the top of a volcano collapses. |
| Weathering | the mechanical and chemical processes that change earth's surface over time. |
| Erosion | the movement of weathered material, or sediment, from one location to another. |
| Physical weathering | the process of breaking down rocks and minerals without changing their compositions. |
| Chemical weathering | the process that changes the composition of rocks and minerals due to exposure to the environment |
| Soil | a mixture of weathered rock, rock fragments, decayed organic matter, water, and air |
| Sediment | rock material that forms when rocks are broken down into smaller pieces or dissolved in water as rocks erode. |
| Deposition | the laying down or settling of eroded material. |