Compression
The squeezing force at a convergent boundary
Continental drift
The hypothesis that continents move developed by Alfred Wegner
Convergent Boundary
Where two plates move towards each other
Divergent boundary
Where two plates move apart from each other
Plate tectonics
States that Earth’s crust is broken into rigid plates that move over Earth’s surface slowly
Shear
The side-by-side dragging force at transform boundaries
Subduction zone
The area where one plate slides under another
Tension
The pulling force at a divergent boundary
Transform boundary
Where two plates slide horizontally past each other
Caldera
A large depression in the center of a volcano
Earthquake
The rupture and sudden movement of rock along a break or crack in Earth’s crust
Fault
The surface along which the crust moves
Hot spots
Locations where volcanoes form far from plate boundaries
Lava flow
Long stream of molten rock
Mid-ocean ridge
The mountains that form as this lava builds up and cools
Volcanic Ash
Small pieces of solidified lava in the atmosphere
Chemical Weathering
The process of changing the composition of rocks and minerals by exposure to water and the atmosphere
Composition
The makeup of something
Deposition
The process of laying down eroded material in a new location
Erosion
The moving of weathered material, or sediment, from one location to another
Physical weathering
The process of breaking rock into small pieces without changing the composition of the rock
Sediment
The minerals and small pieces of rock
Soil
Consists of weathered rock, mineral material, water, air, and organic matter from the remains of organisms
Weathering
The process that breaks down rocks, changing Earth’s surface over time