Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection

Flashcards focusing on key terminology and definitions related to Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection.

Plate Tectonics

The theory explaining the movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates.

Mantle Convection

The process by which heat from the Earth's interior causes the mantle to circulate, influencing plate movements.

Subduction Zones

Areas where one tectonic plate moves under another, leading to volcanic activity and mountain building.

Mid-Ocean Ridge

An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics, where new oceanic crust is created.

Transform Plate Boundaries

Regions where tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally, often causing earthquakes.

Continental Drift

The hypothesis that continents move across the Earth's surface over geological time.

Volcanic Arc

A series of volcanoes formed at a convergent plate boundary where an oceanic plate subducts beneath a continental plate.

Rift Zone

A linear zone where the Earth's lithosphere is being pulled apart, typically associated with divergent plate boundaries.

Island Arc

A chain of volcanic islands formed from the subduction of an oceanic plate beneath another oceanic plate.

Geodynamo

The process that generates Earth's magnetic field through the movement of molten iron and nickel in the outer core.