Plate Techtonics
These enormous pieces make up Earth's outer shell.
What are tectonic plates?
This is the name for melted rock beneath Earth's surface.
What is magma?
This natural disaster causes the ground to shake.
What is an earthquake?
This is the outermost layer of Earth where we live.
What is the crust?
A scientist finds melted rock flowing down the side of a mountain. What natural feature is likely erupting?
What is a volcano?
This boundary occurs when two plates move toward each other.
What is a convergent boundary?
This is what we call magma after it reaches Earth's surface.
What is lava?
This is a break in Earth's crust where rocks move.
What is a fault?
This is the thickest layer of Earth, made of extremely hot rock.
What is the mantle?
Two tectonic plates crash together, pushing the land upward. What landform might eventually form?
What are mountains?
This boundary occurs when two plates move away from each other.
What is a divergent boundary?
This is the underground location where magma collects before an eruption.
What is the magma chamber?
This is the underground location where an earthquake begins.
What is the focus?
This layer of Earth's core is made mostly of liquid iron and nickel.
What is the outer core?
A town experiences shaking after rocks suddenly slip along a fault. What natural event has occurred?
What is an earthquake?
At this type of boundary, two plates slide past each other.
What is a transform boundary?
This dangerous volcanic hazard is a fast-moving cloud of extremely hot gas, ash, and rock.
What is a pyroclastic flow?
This is the point on Earth's surface directly above the earthquake's focus.
What is the epicenter?
This is the solid center of Earth.
What is the inner core?
A scientist discovers that two plates are moving apart and magma is rising between them. What type of boundary is this?
What is a divergent boundary?
When one tectonic plate is forced beneath another, this process occurs.
What is subduction?
This dangerous mixture of water, mud, and volcanic debris can rush down a volcano.
What is a lahar?
These waves carry energy through Earth and cause the ground to shake.
What are seismic waves?
Even though this layer is extremely hot, enormous pressure keeps it solid.
What is the inner core?
A community is located near an active volcano. Scientists warn that a fast-moving mixture of hot gas, ash, and rock is approaching. What hazard is this, and why should people evacuate?
What is a pyroclastic flow? It is extremely hot and fast-moving, making it deadly.