Plate Tectonics Vocabulary

Front

The hot, plastic-like layer of Earth, made of magma.

Back

Mantle

Front

The hot, liquid layer of Earth, made of iron and nickel.

Back

Outer Core

Front

The dense, solid center of Earth, made of iron and nickel.

Back

Inner Core

Front

The boundary between two plates that collide with one another.

Back

Convergent Plate Boundary

Front

The boundary between two plates that pull apart from one another.

Back

Divergent Plate Boundary

Front

The boundary between two plates that slide past one another.

Back

Transform Plate Boundary

Front

When two plates collide and one plate slips below the other and down into the mantle.

Back

Subduction

Front

What happens in a liquid or gas when the warmer parts rise and the cooler parts sink.

Back

Convection

Front

A break in the rock created by pressure and movement in the rock.

Back

Fault

Front

The place in the rocks where pressure releases and an earthquake begins.

Back

Focus