Plate Motion
A large section of Earth's outer layer that moves slowly.
What is a tectonic plate?
A boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other.
What is a divergent boundary?
A sudden shaking of Earth's surface caused by rocks slipping along a fault.
What is an earthquake?
These large landforms can form when two continental plates collide.
What are mountains?
Preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived long ago.
What are fossils?
The place where two tectonic plates meet.
What is a plate boundary?
A boundary where two tectonic plates move toward each other.
What is a convergent boundary?
Melted rock that reaches Earth's surface.
What is lava?
A long underwater mountain range formed at a divergent boundary.
What is the mid ocean ridge?
A diagram that shows the different layers of rock beneath Earth's surface.
What is a cross section?
The layer of Earth beneath the crust that slowly moves and helps drive plate motion.
What is the mantle?
A boundary where two tectonic plates slide past each other.
What is a transform boundary?
Melted rock found beneath Earth's surface.
What is magma?
The type of plate boundary responsible for forming the Himalaya Mountains.
What is a convergent boundary?
This ancient reptile's fossils were discovered in both South America and Africa, providing evidence that the continents were once connected.
What is Mesosaurus?
The thin, outermost layer of Earth.
What is the crust?
At this boundary, rock from the mantle rises, cools, and becomes new rock at the edges of plates.
What is a divergent boundary?
A region surrounding the Pacific Ocean known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
What is the Ring of Fire?
A famous fault in California where two tectonic plates slide past each other.
What is the San Andreas Fault?
Scientists use patterns of these natural events to identify where tectonic plate boundaries are located.
What are earthquakes?
The process that causes continents to change positions over millions of years.
What is plate motion?
At a convergent boundary, one plate can sink into this layer of Earth.
What is the mantle?
Earthquakes are most commonly found near these locations where tectonic plates meet.
What are plate boundaries?
A deep underwater valley that can form where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another.
What is an ocean trench?
Mesosaurus fossils were discovered on these two continents, providing evidence that they were once connected.
What are South America and Africa?