Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Review

Front

What is the theory of Continental Drift?

Back

The theory that continents have moved over geological time and were once joined together in a single landmass called Pangaea.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large pieces of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact at their boundaries, causing geological activity.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

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

Front

What is a convergent boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, often causing one plate to be forced beneath the other.

Front

What is a divergent boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates move away from each other, often resulting in the formation of new crust.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates slide past each other horizontally, causing earthquakes.

Front

What is Pangaea?

Back

A supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, where all continents were joined together.

Front

What are hotspots?

Back

Areas in the mantle where heat rises and can create volcanic activity, but they do not move with tectonic plates.

Front

What is the asthenosphere?

Back

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

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process by which one tectonic plate is forced under another, often leading to volcanic activity.