Untitled Flashcards Set
Crust- The outermost solid layer of Earth, there are two types of crust: continental and oceanic.
Mantle- layer of Earth that is located between the crust and the core, it is a region of hot, slow-flowing solid rock.
Core- layer that extends from below the mantle to the center of Earth, scientists think the core is made mostly of iron and some nickel.
Pangea- This was the name given to the continents when they were joined in a single large landmass about 245 million years ago.
Sea-floor spreading- process proposed by scientists to explain the age and magnetic patterns of sea-floor rocks.
theory of plate tectonics- is a theory that describes large-scale movements of Earth’s lithosphere.
tectonic plates- are the pieces that the lithosphere is divided into, they move around on top of the asthenosphere.
convergent boundary - form where two plates collide. This can happen in three ways, depending on the types of crust involved: continental vs continental, continental vs oceanic, oceanic vs oceanic
divergent boundary- when two plates move away from each other, and magma rises to form new lithosphere at mid-ocean ridges.
transform boundary- a boundary at which two plates move past each other horizontally, at transform boundaries, the motion of the two plates often produces earthquakes.
convection- a kind of movement of material due to differences in density, this would be when hotter parts of the mantle rise as cooler, denser parts sink.
Wegener - meteorologist who hypothesized about Continental Drift