Plate Tectonics
These large pieces of earths crust move slowly over the mantle
What are tectonic plates?
A sudden movement of the ground caused by rock movement along faults.
What is an earthquake?
Scientist study earth's interior using these waves.
What are seismic waves?
Molten rock beneath earth's surface.
What is magma?
A long, narrow depression formed at a plate boundary
What is a rift valley?
The hypothesis that continents were once joined together.
What is continental drift?
The crack in earth's crust where movement occurs
What is a fault?
The outermost layer of earth.
What is the crust?
Magma that reaches earth's surface.
What is lava?
The point on earth's surface directly above the focus.
What is the epicenter?
The type of boundary where two plates move apart.
What is divergent boundary?
The point inside earth where an earthquake starts
What is the focus?
The liquid layer of earth's core.
What is the outer core?
Most volcanoes form in these locations.
What are plate boundaries?
Resistance of lava to flow
What is viscosity?
The process where an oceanic plate sinks beneath another plate.
What is subduction?
The seismic waves that travel the fastest and through liquids and solids
What are P-waves?
The layer that is solid despite extremely high temperatures.
What is the inner core?
A broad volcano with gentle slopes made from low-viscosity lava.
What is a shield volcano?
Solid material ejected during a volcanic eruption.
What is pyroclastic material?
The continuous mountain range that wraps around earth under the oceans.
What is mid-ocean ridge?
Earthquakes at convergent boundaries tend to be this.
What is deep earthquakes?
The zone where no seismic waves are detected.
What is the shadow zone?
A stationary source of magma that forms volcanoes away from plate boundaries.
What is a hot spot?
The weaker plastic like layer beneath the lithosphere.
What is the asthenosphere?