Pangaea and Plate Tectonics

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What is Pangaea?

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Pangaea was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, around 335 million years ago, where all the continents were joined together.

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What are tectonic plates?

Back

Tectonic plates are large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with each other, causing geological activity such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

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What drives the movement of tectonic plates?

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

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What is a convergent boundary?

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A convergent boundary is where two tectonic plates move towards each other, often resulting in the formation of mountains or subduction zones.

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What is an oceanic crust?

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Oceanic crust is the part of the Earth's crust that underlies the ocean basins, characterized as thinner and denser than continental crust.

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What is continental crust?

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Continental crust is the part of the Earth's crust that forms the continents, generally thicker and less dense than oceanic crust.

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What happens at a transform boundary?

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At a transform boundary, two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally, which can cause earthquakes.

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What is subduction?

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Subduction is the process where one tectonic plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle, often forming deep ocean trenches.

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What is the theory of plate tectonics?

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The theory of plate tectonics explains how the Earth's plates move and interact, leading to geological phenomena like earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain building.

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What are convection currents?

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Convection currents are the circular movements of molten rock in the mantle caused by heat from the Earth's core, driving the movement of tectonic plates.