Science Ch 14: Earth's Changing Surface

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