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Plate Tectonics
Key Words
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aftershock
A smaller earthquake that follows
a more powerful earthquake.
asthenosphere
The layer in Earth’s upper mantle
and directly under the lithosphere in
which rock is soft and weak because
it is close to melting.
continental drift
The hypothesis that Earth’s
continents move on Earth’s surface.
convection
The transfer of energy by the
motion of heated gas or liquid; in
Earth’s mantle.
convection current
A circular pattern in which material
is heated and rises in one area, then
cools and sinks in another area.
convergent boundary
A boundary along with two tectonic
plates push together.
crust
The thin outer layer of rock above
the mantle, including all dry land
and ocean basins.
Plate Tectonics
Key Words
2
divergent boundary
A boundary along which two
tectonic plates move apart.
earthquake
A shaking of the ground caused by
the sudden movement of large
blocks of rocks along a fault.
epicenter
The point of Earth’s surface directly
above the focus of an earthquake.
fault
A fracture in Earth’s lithosphere
along which blocks of rock move
past each other.
focus
In an earthquake, the point
underground where rocks first
begin to move.
geyser
A type of hot spring that shoots
water into the air.
hot spot
An area where a column of hot
magma rises from deep within the
mantle and heats the lithosphere
above it, causing volcanic activity.
inner core
A solid sphere of metal, mainly
nickel and iron, at Earth’s center.
Plate Tectonics
Key Words
3
landslide
A rapid downhill
movement of rock and soil.
lava
Molten rock that reaches a planet’s
surface through a volcano.
liquefaction
A process in which the shaking of
ground causes loose, wet soil to act
as a liquid.
lithosphere
The layer of Earth made up of the
crust and rigid rock of the upper
mantle; broken into tectonic plates.
magma
Molten rock beneath
Earth’s surface.
mantle
The layer of rock between Earth’s
outer core and crust, in which rock
is hot enough to flow in currents.
mid-ocean ridge
A long line of sea-floor mountains
where new oceanic crust is formed
along a divergent boundary.
mudflow
Landslides that occur when rocks
and soil are mixed with water
Plate Tectonics
Key Words
4
outer core
A layer of molten material, mainly
nickel and iron, that surrounds
Earth’s inner core.
Pangaea
A hypothetical supercontinent that
included all of the landmasses on
Earth around 250 million years ago.
plate tectonics
A theory stating that Earth’s
lithosphere is broken into plates
that move over time.
pyroclastic flow
A dense cloud of superheated gases
and rock fragments that moves
quickly downhill from a volcano.
rift valley
A deep valley formed as tectonic
plates move apart.
seismic wave
The vibrations caused
by an earthquake.
seismograph
An instrument that records
ground movements.
subduction
The process by which an oceanic
plate sinks under another plate into
Earth’s mantle.
Plate Tectonics
Key Words
5
tectonic plate
One of the large, moving pieces of
Earth’s lithosphere. Usually carries
both oceanic and continental crust.
transform boundary
A boundary along which
two tectonic plates scrape past
each other, and crust is
neither formed or destroyed.
tsunami
A water wave caused by an
earthquake, volcanic eruption, or
landslide.
volcano
An opening in the crust through
which molten rock, rock fragments,
and hot gases erupt.