Plate Tectonics Review

Front

What causes convection currents in the Earth's mantle?

Back

Differences in temperature and density.

Front

Which box will probably sink in a fluid?

Back

The box that is more dense than the fluid.

Front

What happens to molecules that are more dense than the surrounding particles?

Back

They sink down.

Front

What happens to molten material when it cools in the mantle?

Back

It becomes more dense.

Front

What is the primary force that moves the continents?

Back

Convection currents.

Front

Define plate tectonics.

Back

The theory that explains the movement of the Earth's plates and how they interact.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with each other.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

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

Front

What is the asthenosphere?

Back

The semi-fluid layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere that allows tectonic plates to move.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

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