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Mr. Biando's Lab
Mr. Biando's Lab Plate Tectonics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alfred Wegener | Scientist who hypothesized the theory of continental drift. |
| Continental Drift | The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations. |
| Pangaea | A name given to a large single landmass made up of all the continents. Greek for "all earth" |
| Laurasia | The northern piece of the two land masses that formed after Pangaea broke apart. |
| Gondwana | The southern piece of the two land masses that formed after Pangaea broke apart. |
| Sea-Floor Spreading | The process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as the magma rises towards the surface and solidifies. |
| Mid-ocean ridges | Underwater mountain chains that run through the Earth's ocean basins where sea-floor spreading takes place. |
| Magnetic Reversal | When the Earth's magnetic poles change polarity. |
| Lithosphere | The solid, outer layer of the Earth that is made up of the crust and the upper mantle |
| Crust | The thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle |
| Mantle | The layer of rock between the Earth's crust and core. Makes up 67% of Eath's mass. |
| Core | the central part of the Earth below the mantle |
| Asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mntle on which the tectonic plates move. |
| Mesosphere | The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core |
| Tectonic Plate | A block of lithosphere that contains crust and the outermost part of the mantle |
| Plate Tectonics | The theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth's outer layer move and change shape |
| Convergent Boundary | The boundary formed by the collision of two plates |
| Divergent Boundary | The boundary between two plates that are moving away from each other |
| Transform Boundary | The boundary between plates that are sliding past each other horizontally |