7.10B Tectonic Plates Vocabulary

Front

What is a convection current?

Back

A type of thermal energy transfer in which differences in temperature and density of fluids cause them to rise and fall.

Front

What is a convergent boundary?

Back

A boundary where two tectonic plates move together, or converge.

Front

What is a divergent boundary?

Back

A boundary where two tectonic plates move away, or diverge, from one another.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A boundary where tectonic plates slide past each other in opposite directions.

Front

What causes tectonic plates to move?

Back

The movement of tectonic plates is caused by convection currents in the Earth's mantle.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

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

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 subduction?

Back

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

Front

What is an earthquake?

Back

A sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves.

Front

What is a fault?

Back

A fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock, which can cause earthquakes.