Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from lecture notes on plate tectonics, continental drift evidence, seismic and volcanic features in the Philippines, and types of plate boundaries.

Tectonic Plate

A large, rigid slab of solid rock of Earth's lithosphere that slowly shifts over time.

Pangaea

A solitary supercontinent that existed approximately 335 million years ago during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, encompassing almost all of Earth's continental crust before breaking apart.

Continental Drift Theory

A theory first proposed by Alfred Wegener in the early 20th century stating that the continents were once connected as one large landmass and have since drifted apart over millions of years.

Alfred Wegener

The scientist who first proposed the Continental Drift Theory in the early 20th century.

Mesosaurus

A freshwater reptile whose fossils are found in both South America and Africa, serving as fossil evidence that these continents were once joined.

Cynognathus

A Triassic land reptile approximately $3\,m$ long whose fossil remains are found in South America and Africa.

Lystrosaurus

A Triassic land reptile whose fossil evidence is found across South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica.

Glossopteris

A fern whose fossils are found in all southern continents (South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica), showing that they were once joined.

Rock Cratons

Ancient rock outcrops over 2,000 million years old that are continuous from one continent to another.

Seafloor Spreading

The process where hot magma rises at mid-ocean ridges, cools, and becomes solid new rock, pushing older crust away and moving tectonic plates.

Mid-Ocean Ridge

An underwater mountain range that stretches across the ocean floor where new crust forms.

Permo-Carboniferous Glaciation

An event about 300 million years ago that left glacial deposits in the southern hemisphere which, when re-assembled near the South Pole, form a reasonably sized ice sheet.

Pacific Ring of Fire

A region characterized by intense tectonic activity and the presence of numerous earthquakes and volcanoes, encompassing the Philippines.

Philippine Sea Plate

A tectonic plate whose subduction beneath the Philippine archipelago along trenches instigates seismic events and volcanic activity.

Philippine Fault System

An intricate fault system weaving across the Philippines, particularly prevalent along western territories, that perpetuates seismic disturbances.

Luzon Volcanic Arc

A volcanic arc stretching from northern Luzon to the Bicol region along the eastern side of the Philippines where the majority of active volcanoes are concentrated.

Mount Mayon

A volcanic peak in the Luzon Volcanic Arc celebrated for its near perfect cone shape.

Mount Pinatubo

A volcano in the Luzon Volcanic Arc infamous for its catastrophic eruption in 1991.

Major Plates

The expansive primary constituents of Earth's lithosphere, including Eurasia, Pacific, India and Australia, North America, South America, Africa, and Antarctica.

Minor Plates

Smaller tectonic plates—also known as micro plates—including Juan de Fuca, Nazca, Scotia, Philippine, and Caribbean.

Oceanic-Oceanic Convergence

A convergent plate boundary where an oceanic and lithospheric mantle is pushed or subducted under another oceanic plate.

Oceanic-Continental Convergence

A convergent plate boundary that occurs when an oceanic plate is pushed under a continental plate.

Continental-Continental Convergence

A convergent plate boundary occurring when a continent or large island moving along subducting oceanic crust collides with another continent.

Divergence Boundaries

Spreading boundaries where new oceanic crust is created from magma derived from partial melting of the mantle caused by decompression.

Transform Boundaries

Plate boundaries existing where one plate slides past another without the production or destruction of crustal material.