Plate tectonics/Earthquakes
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15 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Lithosphere | The solid, outer layer of earth that consists of the crust and the rigid part of the upper mantle |
| asthenosphere | The soft, elastic layer of mantle on which plates move-partially melted layer |
| Tectonic plates/lithospheric plates | Rigid, but MOVING pieces of the earth's crust |
| Plate tectonics | Theory of the formation and movement of plates that cover the earth's surface |
| Continental Drift | Theory that all continents are pieces of Pangaea that have now drifted apart |
| Pangaea | The "super continent", the belief that all continents were once connected creating a huge land mass |
| Seismology | Scientific study of earthquakes |
| Earthquake | The result of two plates rubbing together or making contact in some way |
| Transform boundaries | Forms when 2 plates SLIDE past each other |
| Diverging boundaries | Forms when 2 plates move apart |
| Converging boundaries | Forms when 2 plates come together |
| Primary waves (P waves) | Waves that can travel through solids, liquids, and gases. These are the first waves released during an earthquake. |
| Secondary waves (S waves) | Waves that cannot travel through liquid. Released once rocks have been deformed from side to side. |
| Surface waves | Waves that travel along the earth's surface. These waves move the slowest and are the most destructive. |
| Epicenter | The point on the earth's surface directly above an earthquake's starting point-the focus. |
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