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Chapter 7 - Vocab
Chapter 7 - Vocab - Plate techtonics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pangaea | A super continent that today's continents were once a part of. |
| Continental drift | A hypothesis which suggests that continents are in constant motion on the surface of the Earth. |
| Mid-ocean ridges | The mountain ranges in the middle of the oceans. |
| Seafloor spreading | The process by which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge. |
| Normal polarity | A state in which, magnetized objects, such as compass needles, will orient themselves to point north. |
| Magnetic reversal | An event when the magnetic field reverses direction. |
| Reversed polarity | A state in which, magnetized objects would reverse direction, orient themselves to point south. |
| Plate tectonics | Rigid slabs of rock, or plates, that move with respect to each other that make up the Earth's surface |
| Lithosphere | The cold and rigid outermost rock layer. |
| Divergent plate boundary | An area which forms where two plates separate. |
| Transform plate boundary | An area which forms where two plates slide past each other. |
| Convergent plate boundaries | An area which forms where two plates collide |
| Subduction | The process which a denser plate sinks below a more buoyant plate. |
| Convection | The circulation of material caused by differences in temperature and density. |
| Ridge push | The force that moves lithosphere in opposite directions away from the mid-ocean ridge. |
| Slab pull | The force that pulls on the rest of the plate as a slab sinks. |