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Plate Tectonics
Unit 4
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Crust | Thin, outermost part of the Earth that sits on top of the mantle. |
Core | The central, innermost part of the Earth. |
Mantle | The layer of rock between the crust and the core. |
Lithosphere | The crust and the upper part of the mantle; contains tectonic plates |
Asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which tectonic plates move. |
Mesosphere | The lower part of the mantle. |
Tectonic Plate | Block of lithosphere that moves on the asthenosphere. |
Continental Drift | Wegener's hypothesis that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations. |
Sea-floor Spreading | The process that creates new ocean crust as magma rises towards the surfaces and solidifies. |
Plate Tectonics Theory | Explains how Earth's outermost layers move and change shape. |
Convergent Boundary | Boundary formed by the collision of two plates. |
Divergent Boundary | Boundary between two plates that are moving apart. |
Transform Boundary | Boundary between plates that are sliding past each other. |
Compression | Stress that squeezes |
Tension | Stress that stretches |
Folding | Bending of rock layers |
Fault | Break in the Earth's crust alond which one block slides relative to another |
Uplift | The rising of the crust to higher elevations. |