Transcript Plate Tectonics

Pangaea
• The name of
the single
landmass or
supercontinent
Continental Drift
• The
movement of
continents as
described by
the theory of
plate
tectonics.
Plasticity
• capacity for
being
molded or
altered
Plate Tectonics
• A theory that
pieces of Earth’s
lithosphere are in
constant motion,
driven by
convection
currents in the
mantle
Rift Valley
• A deep
valley that
forms where
two plates
move apart.
Mid-Ocean Ridge
• The undersea
mountain chain
where new
ocean floor is
produced; a
divergent plate
boundary
Trench
• A long,
steep-sided
valley on
the ocean
floor
Subduction
• oceanic crust
sinks beneath
another plate
and back into
the mantle;
convergent
boundary
Sea/Ocean Floor Spreading
• The building
of new ocean
floor at a
divergent
plate
boundary
Volcano
• An opening in
the earth's
crust through
which molten
lava, ash, and
gases are
ejected
Earthquake
• A sudden
movement of the
earth's crust
caused by the
release of stress
accumulated along
geologic faults or
by volcanic activity
Fault
• a break or
crack in the
crust where
the rocks
can move
Weathering
• to expose
to the
action of
the
elements
Erosion
• the process by which
the surface of the
earth is worn away by
the action of water,
glaciers, winds,
waves, etc.
Topographic Map
• a map showing
topographic
features, usually
by means of
contour lines.