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plate tectonics
semester exam
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pangaea | all the continents were once part of a supercontinent |
| continental drift | suggested that continents are in constant motion on the surface of earth |
| mid ocean ridges | the mountain ranges in the middle of the ocean |
| see floor spreading | the process by which new oceanic crust forms a long a mid ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge |
| plate tectonics | earth surface is made of ridge slabs of rocks or plates that move with respect to each other |
| lithosphere | the cold and rigid outermost layer |
| divergent plat boundary | forms where two plates separte |
| transform Plate boundary | forms where two plates slide past each other |
| convergent plate boundary | forms where two plates collide |
| subduction | the denser plate sinks below the more buoyant plat in process |
| covection | the circulation of material caused by differences in temperature and density |