Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes

Front

What is Plate Tectonics?

Back

The theory that explains the structure and movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere.

Front

What is a tectonic plate?

Back

A large, rigid piece of the Earth's lithosphere that moves and interacts with other plates.

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

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

Front

What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates move apart?

Back

Divergent boundary.

Front

What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates collide?

Back

Convergent boundary.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A type of plate boundary where two plates slide past each other horizontally.

Front

What is the Great Rift Valley?

Back

A geological feature in East Africa formed by divergent tectonic activity.

Front

What is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

Back

An underwater mountain range formed by the divergent boundary between the Eurasian and North American plates.

Front

What is an earthquake?

Back

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

Front

What is the epicenter of an earthquake?

Back

The point on the Earth's surface directly above the location where an earthquake originates.