click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Unit 6 & 7
Earth’s Layers and Plate Tectonics Notes
Term | Definition |
---|---|
crust | the outermost solid layer of the earth. |
mantle | The thickest of Earth’s layers, is located between the core and the crust. |
Convection | the movement of matter that results from differences in density caused by variations in temperature. |
lithosphere. | the outermost, rigid layer of Earth, which includes the crust and the upper mantle. |
asthenosphere | a layer of weak or soft mantle that is made of rock that flows slowly. |
mesosphere | the strong, lower part of the mantle. |
outer core | the liquid layer of the Earth’s core. |
inner core | the solid, dense center of our planet that extends from the bottom of the outer core to the center of Earth. |
Plate tectonics | a theory that states that Earth’s outer layer, the lithosphere, is broken into large, slowly moving pieces called tectonic plates. |
Convergent boundaries | form where two tectonic plates collide. |
Divergent boundaries | where two tectonic plates move away from each other. |
Transform boundaries | where two tectonic plates move past each other horizontally. |
continental drift | says that the continents were once joined together, and, over time, they broke up and drifted apart. |
Pangaea | about 200-300 million years ago, the continents were joined in a single large landmass. |
Laurasia and Gondwana. | about 200 million years ago, a large rift formed, and Pangaea began to break into two continents |