Tectonic Plates
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19 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 crust | the thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth |
| mantle | the layer of rock between the Earth's core and crust |
| core | the layer of Earth below the mantle to the center of the Earth |
| lithosphere | the outermost, rigid layer of the Earth |
| asthenosphere | the flexible layer of the mantle on which pieces of the lithosphere move |
| mesosphere | the strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core |
| tectonic plate | pieces of the lithosphere that move around on top of the asthenosphere |
| continental drift | the hypothesis that the continents once were a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations |
| sea-floor spreading | the process where new oceanic lithosphere forms where magma rises to the surface and solidifies |
| plate tectonics | the theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into plates which move around on the asthenosphere |
| convergent boundary | the boundary formed by the collison of tectonic plates |
| divergent boundary | the boundary formed by two plates moving away from each other |
| transfrom boundary | the boundary between two plates sliding past each other horizontally |
| compression | stress that occurs when an object is squeezed such as two plates colliding |
| tension | stress that occurs when an object is stretched such as a divergent boundary |
| folding | the bending of rock layers due to stress |
| fault | the surface along which rocks break and slide past each other |
| uplift | the rising of parts of Earth's crust to higher elevations |
| subsidence | the sinking of parts of Earth's crust to lower elevations |
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