Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics G-10 Q-1 M-1

Lithosphere

The solid, outer part of Earth consisting of the crust and upper portion of the mantle.

Continental Crust

The thicker but less dense type of crust that floats higher than the oceanic crust.

Oceanic Crust

The denser and thinner type of crust found beneath the oceans.

Plate Tectonics

The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into plates that move around on top of the mantle.

Epicenter

The point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.

Seismogram

A record produced by a seismograph that shows the ground motion during an earthquake.

S-P Interval

The time difference between the arrival of the Primary (P) and Secondary (S) waves used to determine the epicentral distance.

Triangulation

A method used to locate the epicenter of an earthquake by drawing circles on a map based on the epicentral distances from three seismic recording stations.

Distance formula

d= Td/8 seconds x 100 km