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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 ridge | The mountains 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 earths surface is made of ridge slab of rocks or plates that move with respect to each other |
| plate tectonics | earths surface is made of ridge slab of rocks or plates that move with respect to each other |
| lithosphere | the cold outermost layer |
| divergent plate boundary | forms where two plates separate |
| transform plate boundary | forms where two plates slide past each other |
| convergent plate boundary | forms where two plates collide |
| subduction | the denser plate sink below the more buoyant plate in a process |
| convection | the circulation of material caused by differences in temperature and density. |