Vocabulary
A single landmass super-continent
Pangaea
A consolidated explanation for both the movements of the continents over time (continental drift) and seafloor spreading.
Plate Tectonics
The shallow underwater extension of land surrounding a continent.
A piece of equipment that has been launched into space and revolves around the Earth taking pictures of the weather that occurs below.
weather satellite
Refers to the temperature and precipitation changes that occur on a day-to-day basis.
Weather
the upper mantle
asthenosphere
The Earth's _________ is divided into a dozen or more large and small plates.
lithosphere
The steep drop off at the edge of the continental shelf.
Continental Slope
Devices that are used to collect weather and ocean data in the world's oceans.
Weather Buoys
Measures Temperature
Thermometer
the deepest part of the ocean basin
ocean trench
Evidence supporting the theory of plate tectonics
continental shape or
rock layers or
fossils
A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving away from each other.
Divergent Plate Boundary
A device that shoots out energy in the form of radio waves and measures how long it takes for the waves to bounce off of weather systems and return.
Weather Radar
Measures pressure
Barometer
underwater mountain systems
mid-ocean ridges
the movement of the Earth's crust away from the mid-ocean ridges
sea-floor spreading
A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving toward each other.
Convergent Plate Boundary
Shows weather data from many sources and contains symbols that represent atmospheric conditions.
Weather Map
Measures humidity
hygrometer
cracks or faults on the ocean floor that horizontally offset mid-ocean ridges
Fracture Zones
cracks in the Earth's crust where plates move past one another
fault lines
The longest mid-ocean ridge on Earth
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
An instrument that can measure temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed and other variables.
Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)
A specialized radar that uses velocity data about objects at a distance.
Doppler Radar