Lithosphere, Asthenosphere, and Plate Tectonics

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25 Terms

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Lithosphere

The rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle, which is involved in tectonic activity.

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Asthenosphere

The semi-fluid layer of the Earth's mantle located below the lithosphere, which allows for the movement of tectonic plates.

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Convection Currents

Hot materials expand, so they become less dense. Denser materials sink and create a cycle that drives tectonic plate movement. What is this process called?

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Lystrosaurus

doggy burrower that evolved 270 mil yrs ago

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Glossopteris

prevalent seed fern. flourished in the Permian and Triassic periods

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Pan

means all in greek

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Gaea

means land in greek

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Thalassa

means seas in greek

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Pangaea

single landmass or supercontinent

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Panthalassa

vast superocean surrounding Pangaea

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Alfred Wegener

meteorologist and geophysicist who formulated the first complete statement of the continental drift hypothesis in 1912

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South America & Africa

fit of the coastlines blank and blank

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Eduard Suess

presented the contraction theory, and explained the existence of the supercontinent Gondwana.

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Contraction Theory

Earth cools after its formation causing the crinkling of landmasses. Assumes that the earth is relatively static

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Gondwana

Africa, Antarctica, South America, Australia, Indian Subcontinent

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Alexander du Toit

South african geologist who coined Laurasia in 1937

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Laurasia

Asia, North America, Europe

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Cynognathus

meter-long predator of the lower triassic

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Harry Hess

proves that the seafloor and the ocean floors move, not the continents

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Seafloor Spreading Theory

Theory that states mantle convection causes the movement of lithospheric material, causing the movement of the seafloor.

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Magma Upwelling

rifting of the continental crust by pushing upward, forcing it to crack and become thinner

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Rift Valleys

cracks in the continental crust from the thinning of the land (divergent boundary)

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Theory of Plate Tectonics

The Unifying Theory of Geology, incorporates continental drift hypothesis and seafloor spreading

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Driving Forces

pushes plates toward each other or away from.

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Resisting Forces

acts against the driving forces and slows it down