Plate Tectonics Review

Front

What is Sea-Floor Spreading?

Back

The formation of new areas of oceanic crust through the upwelling of magma at mid-ocean ridges and its subsequent outward movement on either side.

Front

What occurs at a subduction zone?

Back

One tectonic plate sinks below another.

Front

What is a Hot Spot?

Back

A volcanically active area of the Earth's surface far from a tectonic plate boundary.

Front

What type of plate boundary exists between the South American Plate and the Nazca Plate?

Back

Convergent.

Front

Who theorized that Pangaea split apart and drifted into different locations?

Back

Alfred Wegener.

Front

What is a tectonic plate?

Back

A massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock that makes up the Earth's lithosphere.

Front

What are the three main types of plate boundaries?

Back

Convergent, Divergent, and Transform.

Front

What happens at a divergent boundary?

Back

Tectonic plates move away from each other, leading to the formation of new crust.

Front

What is the result of a convergent boundary?

Back

One plate is forced below another, leading to subduction, mountain formation, or volcanic activity.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A boundary where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.