Inside Earth Chapter 1 Plate Tectonics
About this set
Created by:
kellyslater on July 6, 2012
Subjects:
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
30 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Seismic waves | Vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake |
| Pressure | The force exerted on a surface divided by the area over which the force is exerted |
| Crust | The layer of rock that forms Earth's outer surface |
| Basalt | A dark, dense igneous rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust |
| Granite | A usually light-colored igneous rock that is found in continental crust |
| Mantle | The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core |
| Lithosphere | A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust |
| Asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats |
| Outer core | A layer of MOLTEN iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth |
| Inner core | A dense sphere of SOLID iron and nickel at the center of the Earth |
| Radiation | The transfer of energy through SPACE |
| Conduction | The transfer of heat within a material or between materials that are TOUCHING |
| Convection | The transfer of heat by MOVEMENT of a FLUID |
| Density | The amount of mass in a given space (mass/volume) |
| Continental Drift | The hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth's surface |
| Pangaea | The name of the single landmass that broke apart 200 million years ago and created today's continents |
| Fossil | A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock |
| Mid-ocean Ridge | An undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced |
| Sonar | A device that determines the distance of an object under water by recording echoes of sound waves |
| Sea-floor spreading | The process by which molten material ADDS NEW OCEANIC CRUST to the ocean floor |
| Deep-ocean trench | A deep valley along the ocean floor beneath which oceanic crust slowly sinks toward the mantle |
| Subduction | The process by which oceanic crust SINKS beneath a deep-ocean trench and BACK INTO THE MANTLE at a convergent plate boundary |
| Plate | A section of the lithosphere that slowly moves over the asthenosphere, carrying pieces of continental and oceanic crust |
| Scientific theory | A WELL-TESTED concept that explains a wide range of observations. |
| Plate Tectonics | The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle |
| Fault | A break in Earth's crust where masses of rock slip past each other |
| Divergent boundary | A plate boundary where two PLATES MOVE AWAY from each other |
| Rift Valley | A deep valley that forms where two PLATES MOVE APART |
| Convergent boundary | A plate boundary where two PLATES MOVE TOWARD each other |
| Transform boundary | A plate boundary where two plates MOVE PAST EACH OTHER in opposite directions |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.