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plate tectonics
vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pangaea | continental drift |
| continental drift | the movement of continents resulting from the motion of tectonic plate |
| mid-ocean ridge | the mountain ranges in the middle of oceans |
| seafloor spreading | is the process by which new oceanic crust forms along mid ocean ridge and older oceanic moves away from ridge |
| normal polarity | a state in which magnetized objects, such as compass needles, will orient themselves to point north |
| magnetic reversal | occurs and the magnetic field reverses direction |
| reversed polarity | a state in which magnetized objects would reverse direction and orient themselves to point south |
| plate tectonics | states the earth surface is made of rigid slabs of rock, or plates that move with respect to eachother |
| lithosphere | the cold rigid outermost rock layer |
| divergent plate boundary | forms where to plates separate |
| transform plate boundary | forms when two plates slide past each other |
| convergent plate boundary | forms when two plates collide |
| subductions | the denser plate stink down below the more buoyant plate in a process |
| convections | the cirrculation matirial caused by diffrences in tempatures and destiny |
| ridge push | rising mantle material at mid oceans ridges creates the potential for plates to move away from the ridge |
| slab pull | as a slab stinks, it pools on the rest og the plate with a force |