| Term | Definition |
| pangaea | giant landmass |
| Convergent Boundary | The boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates. |
| subduction boundary | boundary between the plates |
| Fault | An example of a transform boundary. |
| Convection | Hot rock deep within the Earth causes the oceanic lithosphere to move sideways away from the mid-ocean ridge. |
| Continental-Oceanic Collision | When a plate with oceanic crust collides with a plate of continental crust, the denser oceanic crust sinks into the asthenosphere. |
| terrane | large block of lithospheric plate that has been moved, often over a distance of 1000 of kilometers, and attached to the edge of a continent. |
| Oceanic-Oceanic Collision | When two plates of oceanic crust collide with one sinking below the other into the aesthenosphere. |
| mantle convection | heat from earths inner and outer cores is transferred throughtha mantle by a process. |
| Transform Boundary | The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally. |
| rift | are deep valleys at the center of a mid ocean ridge. |
| Plate Tectonic | The theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth's outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape. |
| Continental-continental Collision | When two tectonic plates with continental crust collide, they buckle and thicken, which pushes the crusts upward forming mountain chains. |
| Subduction Zone | The area where the oceanic crust sinks down into the asthenosphere and melts. |
| deep sea trench | is a long deep trench. deepest part of the ocean floor. |
| Mid-Ocean Ridge | An example of an underwater divergent boundary. |
| Ridge push | The movement of the lithosphere sliding downhill caused by the pulling force of gravity. |
| collision boundary | boundary that forms when two continents collide and are welded intoa single,larger continent |
| Divergent Boundary | The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. |
| Continental drift | A hypothesis that earths continents move on earths surface |
| craton | core of each continent is an expanse of ancient rock. |
| Slab pull | When the denser, heavier oceanic lithosphere sinks and pulls the rest of the tectonic plate with it. |
