Tectonic Plates and Boundaries

A set of flashcards focused on key vocabulary related to tectonic plates, boundaries, and geological processes.

Convergent boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other.

Divergent boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move apart.

Subduction

The process where one tectonic plate moves under another and is forced down into the mantle.

Transform boundary

A plate boundary where two plates slide past each other horizontally.

San Andreas Fault

A transform plate boundary located in Southern California.

Asthenosphere convection

The mechanism driving plate tectonics, involving the movement of the semi-fluid layer beneath the lithosphere.

Deep earthquakes

Earthquakes that are typically formed in areas of subduction.

Pacific Plate

The tectonic plate on which Mount SAC is located.

Normal fault

A fault in which the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall.

Reverse fault

A fault in which the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall.