Plate Tectonics Vocabulary

Front

Pangaea

Back

A supercontinent containing all of Earth's land that existed about 225 million years ago.

Front

Sea Floor Spreading

Back

The process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies.

Front

Plate Tectonics

Back

The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle.

Front

Convection Currents

Back

Circular currents in the mantle caused by magma being heated by the Earth's core.

Front

Tectonic Plates

Back

Sections of the Earth's crust that move due to convection currents.

Front

Convergent Plate Boundaries

Back

Areas where plates move toward each other and collide, causing uplift.

Front

Divergent Plate Boundaries

Back

Tectonic plates spreading apart, new crust being formed (e.g., mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys).

Front

Transform Plate Boundaries

Back

The boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other.