Earth's Layers
The outermost solid layer of the Earth broken into plates is called what?
The crust.
These currents are responsible for moving tectonic plates.
Convection currents.
Who was the scientist who proposed continental drift?
Alfred Wegener.
Plates moving toward each other form this type of boundary.
Convergent Boundary.
Sea-floor spreading occurs at this underwater feature.
Mid-ocean ridge.
Convection currents occur in this layer of the Earth.
The mantle.
Heat from inside the Earth creates convection currents that do this to plates.
Move tectonic plates.
The name of the supercontinent that included all landmasses.
Pangea.
Plates moving away from each other form this type of boundary.
Divergent Boundary.
New crust forms when magma rises, cools, and does this.
Hardens/solidifies.
The Earth has four main layers: crust, mantle, outer core, and what?
The inner core.
This theory explains how and why Earth’s plates move.
Plate tectonics.
One piece of evidence for continental drift: matching ________ records.
Fossil records.
Plates sliding past each other form this type of boundary.
Transform Boundary.
As new crust forms, old crust is pushed away and eventually does this.
Old crust is subducted.
This layer is extremely hot and helps drive convection currents.
The mantle.
Convection currents cause hot material to rise, what happens to cool materials?
Cool materials sink.
Another piece of evidence: continents fit together like a ________.
This boundary mainly causes earthquakes.
Transform Boundary.
This zone is where one plate goes under another plate.
Subduction zone.
This process inside the Earth transfers heat and helps move tectonic plates.
Convection currents.
What would most likely happen to tectonic plates if there were no convection currents?
Plates would stop moving.
This theory came before plate tectonics and helped explain moving continents.
Continental drift.
Mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes, and subduction zones can all form at this boundary.
Convergent Boundary.
Oceanic crust is mainly made of these two rocks.
Basalt and gabbro.