Earth Science Quiz #1
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Created by:
mtortorelli on March 9, 2012
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20 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Lithosphere | the earth's rigid crust and top of the mantle that sits on the athenosphere |
| Athenosphere | the earth's softer rock that sits below the lithosphere and convects |
| Convection | a process where heating from below and cooling from above cause a liquid rise and fall in a circular motion |
| Density | the amount of matter in a certain amount of space (mass per unit volume) |
| Inner Core | the earth's layer consisting of a ball of hot solid metals at the center of the earth |
| Outer Core | the earth's layer consisting of liquid metals that surrounds the inner core |
| Mantle | the earth's thickest layer that sits above the outer core and consists of molten rock |
| Crust | the earth's layer that consists of cool rock on the outside of the earth |
| Tectonic Plates | broken up pieces of the lithosphere that move due to convection |
| Hot Spots | areas where heated rock rises in thin columns to form a volcano that can rise above the surface of the water (Ex. Hawaii) |
| Mid-Ocean Ridge | huge underwater mountain ranges where tectonic plates move away from each other |
| Plate Tectonic Theory | the theory that states the Earth's lithosphere is made up of huge plates that move over the surface of the earth |
| Convergent Boundary | a boundary that occurs where tectonic plates are pushing together |
| Divergent Boundary | a boundary that occurs where tectonic plates are moving apart |
| Transform Boundary | a boundary that occurs where tectonic plates are sliding past one another |
| Continental Crust | thicker, less dense crust that goes on top of oceanic crust when they converge |
| Oceanic Crust | thinner, more dense crust that goes under continental cruse when they converge |
| Subduction | one tectonic plate going under another tectonic plate (typically oceanic crust going under continental crust) |
| Continental-Continental Collision | two continental plates collide, forming mountains |
| Continental-Oceanic Collision | an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate causing the subduction to the oceanic plate |
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