Plate Tectonics

term tectonics comes from…

greek word “tekton” referring to a builder or architect.

outer shell of earth

lithosphere coming from the greek word “lithos” meaning hard rock.

what are the plates composed of

earth’s crust and uppermost mantle

where do the plates ride?

on a warmer, softer layer of the mantle called the asthenosphere

divergent

to divide/seperate

convergent

coming together

transform

moving against one another (one moves up, other moves down continuously)

divergent boundaries create…

ridges

convergent boundaries create…

mountains

transform boundaries create…

earthquakes