Continental Drift Vocabulary

Front

The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary.

Back

subduction

Front

A string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity, or earthquakes, around the edges of the Pacific Ocean.

Back

Ring of Fire

Front

a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.

Back

theory

Front

hypothesis

Back

a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Front

ancient supercontinent

Back

Pangea

Front

The process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor.

Back

sea-floor spreading

Front

An undersea valley that represents one of the deepest parts of the ocean.

Back

ocean trench

Front

An undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary under the ocean.

Back

mid-ocean ridge