Earth Science – Plate Tectonics – Flashcards
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Crust
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The thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle.
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Mantle
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The layer of rock between the Earth's crust and core.
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Core
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The central part of the Earth below the mantle.
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Lithosphere
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The solid, outer layer of the Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.
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Asthenosphere
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The soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move.
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Mesosphere
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The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core.
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Tectonic Plate
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A block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle.
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Seismic Waves
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Vibrations created by an earthquake.
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Seismographs
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Machines that measure the times at which seismic waves arrive at different distances from an earthquake.
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Continental Drift
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The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations.
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Sea-Floor Spreading
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The process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies.
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Plate Tectonics
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The theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth's outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape.
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Convergent Boundary
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The boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates.
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Divergent Boundary
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The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
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Transform Boundary
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The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally.
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Compression
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Stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an object.
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Tension
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Stress that occurs when forces act to stretch an object.
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Folding
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The bending of rock layers due to stress.
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Fault
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A break in a body of rock along which one block slides relative to another.
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Uplift
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The rising of regions of the Earth's crust to higher elevations.
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Subsidence
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The sinking of regions of the Earth's crust to lower elevations.
