Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Review

Front

What is Continental Drift?

Back

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

Front

What evidence supports the theory of Continental Drift?

Back

Fossil distribution, glacier scars, and the fit of continental coastlines.

Front

What is Plate Tectonics?

Back

The scientific theory that describes the large-scale movements of Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates.

Front

What are the three types of plate boundaries?

Back

Divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries.

Front

What happens at a divergent boundary?

Back

Tectonic plates move apart, leading to the formation of new crust, often seen at mid-ocean ridges.

Front

What occurs at a convergent boundary?

Back

Tectonic plates collide, which can cause one plate to be forced under another, leading to subduction zones.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A boundary where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally, often causing earthquakes.

Front

What is the asthenosphere?

Back

A semi-fluid layer of the mantle located beneath the lithosphere, allowing tectonic plates to move.

Front

What are hotspots?

Back

Volcanoes that form in the middle of tectonic plates, away from plate boundaries, due to mantle plumes.

Front

What is convection in the context of plate tectonics?

Back

The process of heat transfer in the mantle that drives the movement of tectonic plates.