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Plate Movement
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| crust | the layer of rock that forms earth's outer surface |
| mantle | the layer of hot,solid material between earth's crust and core |
| outer core | a layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of earth |
| inner core | a dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of earth |
| latitude | the distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees |
| longitude | the distance east or west of the prime meridian in Greenwich,England;measured in degrees |
| oceanic ridge | A mountain-like land form that develops when tectonic plates move apart or separate and a new ocean lithosphere forms |
| sea-floor spreading | The process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor |
| divergent boundary | a plate boundary where two plates move away from each other |
| convergent boundary | a plate boundary where two plates move toward each other |
| transform boundary | a plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions |
| subduction | the process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary. |
| ocean trench | an undersea valley that represents one of the deepest parts of the ocean |
| tectonic plates | a piece of earth's crust that,according to plate tectonics,is pushed by movement in the asthenosphere |
| lithosphere | the cool,solid outer shell of earth |
| fracture | the breakage of a rock into two or more pieces |
| elasticity | the ability of rock to be stretched and then return to its original position once the stress has been removed |
| stress | the amount of force being applied to a rock or surface |
| strain | change in volume,size,or shape that results from stress |
| plate boundary | a place where pieces of the broken lithosphere meet |
| continental crust | crust that contains mostly land,ranging from 15 to 70 kilometers thick |
| oceanic crust | crust that lies beneath the ocean,ranging from 5 to 10 km thick. |
| friction | a force that opposes the motion of objects,which are in contact |
| rift valley | the valley formed by a diverging plate boundary |