8th Science Plate Tectonics

Front

What is the San Andreas Fault?

Back

The San Andreas Fault is a transform boundary located in California where the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate slide past each other.

Front

What is a mid-ocean ridge?

Back

A mid-ocean ridge is an underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics, where tectonic plates are moving apart.

Front

What is Pangaea?

Back

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

Front

What causes tectonic plates to move?

Back

Tectonic plates move due to convection currents in the mantle, which are caused by the heat from the Earth's core.

Front

What is a convergent boundary?

Back

A convergent boundary is where two tectonic plates move towards each other, often causing one plate to be forced beneath the other.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

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

Front

What is an island arc?

Back

An island arc is a chain of volcanic islands formed at a convergent boundary where an oceanic plate subducts beneath another oceanic plate.

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

Continental drift is the theory that continents have moved over geological time and were once joined together as a single landmass.

Front

What is the theory of plate tectonics?

Back

The theory of plate tectonics explains the movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere.

Front

What are convection currents?

Back

Convection currents are the circular movements of fluid caused by the heat from below, which drive the movement of tectonic plates.