Plate Tectonics

Front

What is Pangea?

Back

Pangea was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, where all the continents were joined together.

Front

What causes the movement of tectonic plates?

Back

The movement of tectonic plates is caused by convection currents in the Asthenosphere.

Front

What is sea-floor spreading?

Back

Sea-floor spreading is the process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and older crust moves away from the ridge.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

The lithosphere is the outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.

Front

Why does oceanic crust subduct under continental crust?

Back

Oceanic crust subducts under continental crust because it is denser.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Tectonic plates are large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with each other.

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

Continental drift is the theory that continents have moved over geological time and were once joined together.

Front

What is the Asthenosphere?

Back

The Asthenosphere is a semi-fluid layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere that allows tectonic plates to move.

Front

What happens at convergent boundaries?

Back

At convergent boundaries, tectonic plates move towards each other, often causing one plate to subduct beneath the other.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A transform boundary is where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.