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Plate Tectonics Vocab 8th Gr.

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Term
Definition
Plate Tectonic Theory   Theory that the lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates that slowly move on top of the asthenosphere  
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lithosphere   Cool, rigid, outermost layer of Earth that is divided into enormous pieces called tectonic plates; consists of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle  
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asthenosphere   the upper part of the mantle below the lithosphere. It is made of partially molten rock.  
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convection currents   a circular or cyclical motion that occurs because of heat causing density differences in the mantle; the engine for plate movement.  
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Continental Drift   Theory that the continents were once all connected but have moved apart in the last 250 million years  
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fossils   impressions of organisms left in rock layers that indicate the organisms once lived in the area  
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sea floor spreading evidence   a parallel pattern of rock material found at identical locations on each side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge reveals rock of the same geologic age and magnetic polarity  
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divergent boundary   the boundary between two tectonic plates moving away from each other; on land it creates rift valleys, on the sea floor it creates new ocean crust and mountainous ridges  
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subduction   the process in which a denser plate is pushed downward beneath a less dense plate when plates converge; occurs at continental to oceanic boundaries and oceanic to oceanic boundaries  
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convergent boundary   the boundary between two tectonic plates moving toward each other; results in volcanic activity when an ocean plate subducts, or moves below, a continental plate or another oceanic plate  
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transform boundary   the boundary between two plates that slide sideways past one another; creates sudden shifts that result in earthquakes and the release of stored energy  
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convergent boundary, continental to continental   continental plates of equal density converge; creates tall mountains  
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ocean trench   deep and narrow depressions in the seafloor where the subducted plate moves down into the asthenosphere  
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atmosphere   the layer of air all around Earth  
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hydrosphere   the water all around Earth  
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biosphere   the living things all around Earth  
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volcanic eruptions   events in which molten rock spews out from the mantle to the surface of Earth as ash, lava, and gases  
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mountain building   major geological even that occurs when continental plates of equal density converge and are pushed up  
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spreading ridges   ridges formed from magma creating new crustal material at diverging oceanic plate boundaries  
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earthquakes   major geological events that occur at ALL types of plate boundaries when the plates shift suddenly and release stored energy  
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oceanic   the type of crustal material that is thinner and denser  
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continental   the type of crustal material that is thicker and less dense  
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density   the amount of matter (mass) packed into a given volume  
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tectonic plates   huge pieces of Earth's lithosphere that move slowly on the asthenosphere. They meet at "boundaries."  
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