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Unit 2: PT
Plate Tectonics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| The rock cycle | A series of processes on the surface and inside Earth that slowly changes rocks from one kind to another |
| crust | Earth's outermost layer. |
| mantle | The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core. |
| inner core | A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth |
| outer core | the liquid layer of the Earth's core that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core |
| lithosphere | A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.asthenosphere |
| asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats. |
| convection | The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid |
| seismic waves | vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake |
| primary waves | 1st wave, P, travels the fastest, back-and-forth waves, move through solids, liquids, and gases |
| secondary waves | seismic wave that moves rock particles at right angles to the direction of the wave, moves slower than primary waves |
| continental drift theory | the theory that the continents have not always been in their present locations but have moved there over millions of years |
| theory of plate tectonics | one of the seven large landmasses on the earth, this crust is thicker, but less dense than continental crust |
| continent | A large body of salt water, this crust is thinner, but more dense than continental crust |
| tectonic plates | Sections of the Earth's crust that move due to convection currents in the mantle |
| supercontinent | an ancient landmass which separated into present-day continents; most recent one was named Pangaea |
| seafloor spreading | The process that creates new sea floor as plates move away from each other at the mid-ocean ridges |
| transform plate boundary | Boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other. |
| divergent plate boundary | Boundary between tectonic plates in which the two plates move away from each other, and new crust is created between them |
| convergent plate boundary | A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other. |
| volcano | A weak spot in the crust where magma has come to the surface |
| trench | extremely deep areas in the ocean that are created by a subducting plate |
| hot spot | An area where magma from deep within the mantle melts through the crust above it |
| continental/oceanic boundary | The boundary between the continental and oceanic crusts. The collision causes the oceanic plate to move underneath the continental plate, forming trenches. |
| oceanic/oceanic boundary | A convergent boundary between two seafloor plates, causing volcanic islands and large earthquakes |
| continental/continental boundary | A convergent boundary between two continental plates with no subduction, causing tall mountain ranges with no volcanoes |
| subduction zone | The region where the more dense plates sink down into the mantle |
| rift | a large split/break in between two divergent boundaries |
| ridge | A long, narrow chain of hills or mountains |
| Ring of Fire | A major belt of volcanoes that rims the Pacific Ocean; the most tectonically active part of the Earth |
Created by:
emmag.cunningham
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