Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics

Front

What is the rate at which Earth's lithospheric plates move each year?

Back

A few centimeters.

Front

What is the primary cause of the movement of Earth’s plates?

Back

Convection.

Front

What do the crust and the uppermost mantle together form?

Back

Lithosphere.

Front

What is a rock layer that allows groundwater to flow through it called?

Back

Aquifer.

Front

What does it mean if a material is described as permeable?

Back

Water can pass through it easily.

Front

What is the term for the layer of the Earth that includes the crust and upper mantle?

Back

Lithosphere.

Front

What is convection in the context of plate tectonics?

Back

The movement of fluid caused by differences in temperature and density, driving plate movement.

Front

What is the difference between permeable and impermeable materials?

Back

Permeable materials allow water to pass through, while impermeable materials do not.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

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

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

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