| Term | Definition |
| lithosphere | referring to rock, is the layer the continents are made up of |
| asthenosphere | layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats |
| core | center of the earth and hottest spot |
| molten rock | melted rock |
| divergent boundary | when two plates pull away from each other |
| convergent boundary | when two plates come together |
| transform boundary | when two plates slide past each other causing earthquakes |
| rift valley | the area where two continental plates pull apart |
| subduction | when one plate goes under another plate |
| trench | the place where one plate slides under another plate |
| mid-ocean ridge | the place underwater where two plates are spreading apart |
| sea-floor spreading | process where new molten material is added to the ocean floor |
| convection currents | the movement of fluid due to changes in density caused by temperature changes |
| density | the amount of matter in a given space |
| pressure | force exerted on a surface |
| plate tectonics | the theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion driven by convection currents in the mantle |