Download Earth Crust in Motion Vocbaulary (Aca).doc

Name
Period
Earth’s Crust in Motion Vocabulary
Geology – the study of the solid Earth
Convection – the transfer of thermal energy by movements of fluid
Convection Currents – the movement of fluid, caused by differences in temperature, that transfers thermal energy
from one part of the fluid to another
Conduction – the transfer of thermal energy through direct contact between particles of matter
Radiation – the transfer of energy of electromagnetic waves
Plasticity – the semi-solid, semi-liquid property of the mantle that allows for movement of the plates
Crust – the layer of rock that forms Earth’s outer surface
Mantle – the layer of hot, solid materials between Earth’s crust and core
Outer core – a layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of the Earth
Inner core – a dense ball of solid metal at the center of the Earth
Lithosphere – a rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust
Asthenosphere – the soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats
Seafloor Spreading – the process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor
Subduction – the process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a
convergent plate boundary
Deep Ocean Trench – a deep valley along the ocean floor through which oceanic crust slowly sinks towards the
mantle; a convergent plate boundary
Mid-Ocean Ridge – the undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary
Fossil – a trace of an organism that has been preserved in rock
Divergent Boundary – a plate boundary where two plates move away from each other
Convergent Boundary – a plate boundary where two plates move toward each other
Transform Boundary – a plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions
Continental Drift – the hypothesis that all continents were once joined together in a single landmass and have since
drifted to their current locations
Fault – breaks in Earth’s crust where rocks have slipped past each other
Shearing – the lateral movement of one rock surface against another; caused by intense pressure along plate
boundaries
Folded Mountains – mountains formed when two plates hit each other straight on, causing them to rise out of the
earth; formed at a convergent boundary
Science 8 – Earth’s Crust in Motion
Pangaea – large ancient landmass that was composed of all the continents joined together
Plate Boundary – the line where the edges of the plates meet
Plate Tectonics – the theory that Earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into plates that float and move around on
a plastic like layer of the mantle
Plates – the large sections of the Earth's crust and upper mantle
Rift Valley – deep valley that forms when two plates diverge or move apart
Hot Spot – an area where magma from deep within the mantle melts through the crust above it
Volcano – a weak spot in the crust where magma has come to the surface
Science 8 – Earth’s Crust in Motion