Boundaries
A place where two tectonic plates move toward each other and collide
What is a Convergent Boundary
The theory that continents were once connected but have drifted apart
Major geological event that occurs when plates shift suddenly and release stored energy; a frequent occurrence along all types of plate boundaries
What is an Earthquake
The mineralized remains of organisms and the rock layers in which they are found, showing when and where long-dead organisms lived and how their bodies were structured
What is Fossil Record
Huge piece of crust that slowly moves on the upper, ductile part of the mantle
What is a Tectonic Plate
A place where two tectonic plates move away from each other
What is a Divergent Boundary
The theory that the crust is divided into large pieces called tectonic plates that slowly move on top of the mantle
What is Plate Tectonics
Major geological event that occurs when continental plates of equal density converge, resulting in mountain chains
What is Mountain Building
depression of Earth’s surface in which an ocean lies
What is an Ocean Basin
The rigid outer layer, including the crust and upper mantle.
Includes Continental Crust, Oceanic Crust, and upper mantle.
What is the Lithosphere
A place where two tectonic plates slide past each other
What is a Transform Boundart
The law that says that younger rock layers sit on top of older rock layers
What is Superposition
A volcano with an eruption rating of 8 on the Volcano Explosivity Index (VEI), meaning erupted material was expelled over 240 cubic miles; all supervolcanoes have been dormant for thousands to millions of years.
What is a Supervolcano
An extremely hot area of Earth’s mantle that causes the crust above it to melt and creates volcanoes away from plate boundaries
What is a Hot Spot
The ductile part of the upper mantle below the lithosphere, which allows tectonic plates to move.
What is the Asthenosphere
vent in which molten rock spews out from the mantle to the surface of Earth as ash, lava, and gases
What is a Volcano
Deep and narrow depression in the seafloor where the subducted plate moves into the asthenosphere
What is an Ocean Trench
Name all the layers of Earth (as studied in 6th grade)
Crust (continental and oceanic)
Mantle
Outer core
Inner core
The process in which a denser plate is pushed downward beneath a less dense plate when plates converge
Subduction