Continental Drift
The mechanism by which continental drift happens.
What is plate tectonics?
What is a convergent boundary?
The force that squeezes and smooshes rock.
What is compression?
The most recent supercontinent that contained all the continents.
What is Pangaea?
Plate boundary where plates move away from each other.
What is a divergent boundary?
The force that pulls and stretches rock.
What is tension?
Describe how continents' shapes support continental drift.
They fit together like puzzle pieces! (E.g. SA and Africa)
Plate boundary where plates move side-to-side.
What is a transform boundary?
The force that pulls rock in opposite directions.
What is shear?
Describe how fossil evidence supports continental drift.
Fossils from land-dwelling or freshwater species have been found on continents separated by oceans.
The process that drives plate tectonics.
What is convection in the mantle?
Volcanic arcs, ocean trenches, and mountain ranges form because of this force.
What is compression?
Describe how rock and coal evidence supports continental drift.
Rock and coal deposits of the same age and composition have been found on separated continents.
The layer of the Earth that makes up tectonic plates, composed of crust and the rigid upper mantle.
What is the lithosphere?
Mid-ocean ridges and continental rifts form because of this force.
What is tension?