Plate Tectonics

Front

What is Plate Tectonics?

Back

The theory that explains the structure and movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates.

Front

What type of boundary occurs when two plates move away from each other?

Back

Divergent boundary.

Front

What happens when two tectonic plates move apart?

Back

Soft, solid rock from underneath the plates rises up and hardens, adding solid rock to the edges of both plates.

Front

What is the Earth's outer layer made of underneath the ocean and land?

Back

Hard, solid rock.

Front

What is a trench in geological terms?

Back

A long, deep indentation in the ocean floor formed when two plates move together.

Front

Which type of crust is more dense: oceanic or continental?

Back

Oceanic crust is more dense.

Front

What is a convergent boundary?

Back

A boundary where two tectonic plates move towards each other, often causing one plate to be forced below another.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A boundary where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.

Front

What geological feature is formed at a divergent boundary?

Back

Mid-ocean ridges are formed at divergent boundaries.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process where one tectonic plate moves under another plate and sinks into the mantle.