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EES 2.1
Tectonic plates vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Geosphere | The geosphere is the solid, rocky part of the Earth, extending from the surface down to the core. |
| Rock Cycle | A continuous geological process where rocks are formed, destroyed, and changed from one type to another. |
| Tectonic Plates | Massive slabs of the Earth's lithosphere that move slowly over the molten asthenosphere, carrying continents and ocean floors. |
| Pangea | A supercontinent that existed about 335 million years ago, when all of Earth's landmasses were joined together into one giant "all lands". |
| Lithosphere | The rigid, outermost shell of the Earth, made up of the crust and the very top, solid part of the mantle. |
| Asthenosphere | A soft, semi-fluid layer of the Earth's upper mantle, located below the rigid lithosphere. This "plastic-like" layer allows the tectonic plates above it to move. |
| Convection Currents | Cycles of movement in fluids (like air or water) where warmer, less dense fluid rises and cooler, denser fluid sinks. |
| Theory | A formal set of ideas that has been tested and is used to explain something, unlike a guess or speculation. |
| Fault Line | A fracture in the Earth's crust where tectonic plates move past each other. |
| Alfred Wegener | German meteorologist and geophysicist who developed the theory of continental drift and Pangea. |
| Earthquake | The intense shaking of the ground that occurs when two blocks of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, suddenly slip past each other. |
| Seismograph | An instrument that records the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes. |
| Magnitude | Magnitude is a measure of the total energy released by an earthquake at its source. |
| Volcano | An opening in the Earth's surface where molten rock (magma), ash, and gases escape from below the crust. Most volcanoes are formed by the movement and interaction of the planet's tectonic plates. |
| Epicenter | The point on Earth's surface directly above where an earthquake originates. |
| Molten | Refers to the hot, liquid rock found beneath Earth's surface. This molten rock is called magma. |
| Mantle | The thick, mostly solid layer of hot, silicate rock between Earth's outer crust and its core. It drives the movement of the tectonic plates. |
| Thermal energy | The internal heat of the Earth that powers the movement of tectonic plates. |
| Divergent | An area where two tectonic plates are moving away from each other. |
| Crust | The thin, solid outer layer of the planet that is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates. |
| Continental crust | The thick, rocky layer that forms the Earth's continents and is a key component of tectonic plates. |
| Oceanic crust | The thin, dense, and young layer of rock that makes up the ocean floor. |
| Subduction | The process where one tectonic plate slides and sinks beneath another, recycling old oceanic crust back into the Earth's mantle. |
| Convergent | Plates collide. |
| Thermal | Related to heat. |
| Thermal Convection | Heat transfer by convection, where warm material rises and cool material sinks. |
| Inner Core | Earth’s solid center made mostly of iron and nickel. |
| Outer Core | The liquid layer around the inner core that creates Earth’s magnetic field. |
| Geosphere | All of the solid parts of Earth: rocks, minerals, and landforms. |
| Density | How much mass something has compared to its volume (how tightly packed it is). |
| Ductile | Able to bend or flow without breaking. |
| Continental Drift | The idea that continents move across Earth’s surface over time. |
| Support for Wegener's Theory | Matching fossils, rock layers, and coastlines across continents; evidence of past climates. |
| Transform | Plates slide past each other. |
| Seafloor Spreading | New ocean crust forms at mid-ocean ridges as plates pull apart. |
| Trench | A deep valley in the ocean floor formed at subduction zones. |
| Ridge | A raised area on the ocean floor where new crust forms. |
| Rift | A crack where Earth’s crust is pulling apart. |
| Slab Pull | Force pulling a sinking plate downward at a subduction zone. |
| Plume | A rising column of hot mantle rock. |
| Mantle Convection | Movement of the mantle caused by heat; drives plate tectonics. |
| Mountain Formation | Mountains form when plates collide, fold, or uplift. |
| Volcanism | Processes that bring magma to the surface. |
| Magma | Molten (melted) rock beneath Earth's surface. |
| Lava | Magma that has reached the surface. |
| Tsunamis | Large ocean waves caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. |
| Primary Waves | Fastest seismic waves; move through solids and liquids. |
| Secondary Waves | Slower seismic waves; only move through solids. |
| Richter Scale | A scale that measures earthquake magnitude. |
| Seismic Waves | Waves of energy that travel through Earth during an earthquake. |
| Fossils | Preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms. |
| Radioactivity | Release of energy from unstable atoms. |
| Unstable Isotopes | Atoms that break down over time and release radiation. |
| Radioactive Decay | Process where unstable isotopes break down into stable ones. |
| Isotope | Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. |
| Half-life | Time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay. |
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