Plate Tectonics Flash Cards

Front

Crust

Back

The outermost layer of the Earth, composed of rock.

Front

Mantle

Back

The layer of the Earth between the crust and the outer core, made of silicate rocks.

Front

Outer Core

Back

The liquid layer of the Earth's core that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core.

Front

Inner Core

Back

The solid innermost layer of the Earth, composed primarily of iron and nickel.

Front

Lithosphere

Back

The rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Front

Tectonic Plate

Back

A massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere.

Front

Convergent Boundary

Back

A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving toward each other, often causing one plate to slide beneath the other.

Front

Divergent Boundary

Back

A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving away from each other, allowing magma to rise and create new crust.

Front

Transform Boundary

Back

A tectonic boundary where two plates slide past one another horizontally.

Front

Subduction Zone

Back

A region of the Earth's crust where one tectonic plate is being forced under another, often leading to volcanic activity.