Tectonic Plates

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 are mid-ocean ridges?

Back

A chain of underwater mountains formed by the upwelling of magma at divergent tectonic plate boundaries.

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

The theory that continents have moved over geological time and were once joined together.

Front

What evidence supports the theory of continental drift?

Back

Interlocking shapes of coastlines, fossil similarities, and geological formations across continents.

Front

What happens at convergent plate boundaries?

Back

Tectonic plates move toward each other, often resulting in mountain formation or subduction.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

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

Front

What are ocean trenches?

Back

Deep underwater valleys formed at subduction zones where one plate is forced under another.

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 a rift valley?

Back

A lowland region formed by the divergence of tectonic plates, often filled with water.