Tectonic Plate Margins

Flashcards about Tectonic Plate Margins

Volcano

A rupture in the Earth's crust that allows gas and molten rock to escape from inside the planet to the surface.

Lithosphere

The Earth's crust and the upper mantle.

Tectonic Plates

Slabs that the lithosphere is broken up into, fitting together like puzzle pieces to make up the surface of the Earth.

Destructive (Convergent) Plate Margin

A plate margin where an oceanic tectonic plate and a continental plate move towards each other, with the denser oceanic plate sinking under the continental plate.

Constructive (Divergent) Plate Margin

A plate margin where two plates move apart, allowing magma to rise and form new crust.

Ring Of Fire

The margin of the Pacific Plate where 75% of the world's active volcanoes are located.

Hot Spot Volcanoes

Volcanoes that form away from tectonic plate boundaries when rising magma melts through the tectonic plate above.

Composite Volcano

A volcano commonly found on destructive plate margins with a distinctive conical shape. Also known as Stratovolcanoes.

Shield Volcano

A volcano usually found on constructive plate margins or at hot spots with gentle sloping sides caused by runny lava.

Magma Chamber

The area at the bottom of a composite volcano where magma collects.

Lava

Magma that has reached the surface of the Earth.

Volcanic Bombs

Pieces of rocks ejected from craters of volcanoes.