Tectonics and Volcanism (Plate Boundaries, Earthquakes, Hotspots)

Vocabulary flashcards covering driving forces of plate tectonics, boundary types, earthquake evidence, volcano age relationships, real-world examples, and hotspots.

Mantle convection

Heat-driven circulation in the mantle that moves tectonic plates.

Slab pull

Sinking of cold, dense oceanic lithosphere at subduction zones that helps pull the rest of the plate.

Ridge push

Gravitational force at mid-ocean ridges that helps push plates apart.

Gravity (driving force for plate tectonics)

Gravitational effects contributing to plate motion, especially at ridges and subduction zones.

Divergent boundary

Plate boundary where two plates move apart; crust is created; earthquakes and volcanoes can occur.

Convergent boundary

Plate boundary where two plates collide; can produce earthquakes and volcanic arcs (often with subduction).

Transform boundary

Plate boundary where plates slide horizontally past one another; earthquakes are common, little crust is created.

Plate tectonics

Theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into moving plates driven by mantle convection, slab pull, and ridge push.

Earthquakes along plate boundaries

Earthquakes occur primarily at plate boundaries and provide direct evidence for plate tectonics.

Volcano age patterns at divergent boundaries (ridges)

Volcanoes along divergent boundaries tend to have very similar ages.

Arc volcanoes

Volcanoes that form above subduction zones at convergent boundaries; ages along an arc are typically similar.

Hotspots

Long-lived mantle plumes rising from deep mantle that create volcano chains as plates move over them.

Mantle plume

Upwelling of hot mantle material from deep within the mantle, often giving rise to hotspots.

East African Rift

A continental divergent boundary example in Africa.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

An oceanic divergent boundary located in the Atlantic Ocean.

Andes

A mountain belt formed by oceanic-continental convergence at a subduction zone.

Himalayas

A mountain belt formed by continental-continental collision at a convergent boundary.

San Andreas Fault

A transform boundary in California where the Pacific and North American plates slide past each other.

Hawaii

An oceanic hotspot chain formed as the Pacific Plate moves over a fixed hotspot.

Yellowstone

A continental hotspot in the western United States; evidence includes a trail of progressively older calderas.

Caldera

A large volcanic crater formed by the collapse of a volcano after an eruption.