Geoscience Vocabulary Flashcard

Front

What is sea-floor spreading?

Back

Sea-floor spreading is the process by which new oceanic crust is created at a divergent boundary, where tectonic plates move apart.

Front

What type of boundary occurs when two tectonic plates collide?

Back

A convergent boundary.

Front

Who proposed the Continental Drift Theory?

Back

Alfred Wegener.

Front

What type of plate boundary is characterized by plates sliding past each other?

Back

Transform boundary.

Front

What causes the movement of Earth's tectonic plates?

Back

The movement is primarily caused by convection currents in the Earth's mantle.

Front

Define a divergent boundary.

Back

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

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A transform boundary is where two tectonic plates slide past one another horizontally.

Front

What geological feature is commonly formed at a convergent boundary?

Back

Mountains, deep sea trenches, and volcanic arcs.

Front

Explain subduction.

Back

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

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

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