Unit 3 Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

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

Front

Who proposed the theory of continental drift?

Back

Alfred Wegener.

Front

What type of evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support his hypothesis?

Back

Evidence from landforms, fossils, and climate.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

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

Front

What is the mantle?

Back

The largest layer of the Earth located between the crust and the outer core.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process by which one tectonic plate sinks beneath another at a convergent plate boundary.

Front

What is a tectonic plate?

Back

A large, rigid piece of the Earth's lithosphere that moves and interacts with other plates.

Front

What is a transform plate boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates slide past each other, causing seismic activity.

Front

What is a convergent plate boundary?

Back

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

Front

What is a divergent plate boundary?

Back

A boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other, leading to the formation of new crust.