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Chapter 7
Plate Tectonics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pangaea | all the continents were one part of a supercontinent. |
| continental drift | which suggested that continents are in constant motion on the surface of Earth. |
| Mid-ocean ridge | the mountain ranges in the middle of the oceans. |
| Seafloor spreading | is 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 needle will orient themselves to point north. |
| Magnecti reversal | occurs and the magnetic field reverse direction. |
| Reserved polarity | a state in which magnetized objects would reverse direction and orient themselves to point south, as show in. |
| Plate Tectonics | state that Earth's surface is made of rigid slabs, or plates, that move with respect to each other. |
| Lithophere | the cold and rigid outer most rock layer. |
| Divergent plate boundary | forms where two plates separate. |
| Transform plate boundary | forms where two plates slide past each other. |
| Convergent plate boundary | from where two plates collide. |
| Subduction | the denser plate sinks below the more buoyant plate in a process. |
| Convection | the circulation of material caused by difference in temperature and density. |
| ridge push | rising mantle material at mid-ocean ridges creates the potential for plates to move always from the ridge with a force. |
| Slab pull | a slab sinks it pulls on the rest of the plate with a force. |