Chapter 9 - Plate Tectonics

Front

What is Plate Tectonics?

Back

A scientific theory explaining the movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere.

Front

What are the three main types of plate boundaries?

Back

1. Convergent boundaries (plates collide), 2. Divergent boundaries (plates move apart), 3. Transform boundaries (plates slide past each other).

Front

What is subduction?

Back

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

Front

What is uplift in geology?

Back

The process by which Earth's surface is raised due to tectonic forces, often leading to the formation of mountains.

Front

What are convection currents?

Back

The movement of fluid caused by differences in temperature and density, which drives the movement of tectonic plates.

Front

What is normal polarity?

Back

The state of Earth's magnetic field where magnetic north is near the geographic North Pole.

Front

What was Alfred Wegener's Continental Drift Hypothesis?

Back

The theory that continents were once joined together and have since drifted apart.

Front

What evidence supports the theory of plate tectonics?

Back

Fossil distribution, geological similarities across continents, and the fit of continental margins.

Front

What is a convergent boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, often leading to subduction or mountain formation.

Front

What is a divergent boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates move apart, leading to the formation of new crust.