Plate Tectonics and Boundaries Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts of Earth's plates, mantle interactions, divergent and convergent boundaries, and geological evidence.

Earth's Outer Layer

The hard, solid rock layer covering Earth's surface that is divided into sections called plates.

Plates

Sections of Earth's outer layer made of hard, solid rock that move on top of the mantle.

Mantle

A soft, solid layer of rock beneath Earth's plates on top of which the plates move.

Divergent Plate Boundary

A boundary where plates move away from each other, mantle material is added to the edges of both plates (rock is added), and features such as mid-ocean ridges, volcanoes, and earthquakes occur.

Convergent Plate Boundary

A boundary where plates move toward each other, one plate sinks into the mantle and is destroyed (rock is destroyed), and features such as trenches, volcanoes, and earthquakes occur.

Mid-Ocean Ridge

A landform commonly found at divergent plate boundaries where rock rises from the mantle and hardens.

Trench

A landform commonly found at convergent plate boundaries where one plate moves underneath another plate and sinks into the mantle.

Mesosaurus Fossils

Fossils found in hard, solid rock on both the South American and African plates that moved apart gradually over tens of millions of years as a divergent plate boundary formed between them.

Plate Boundary Comparison Chart

A visual guide summarizing plate movement, mantle interaction, common landforms, earthquake occurrence, and volcanic activity for divergent and convergent boundaries.