Plate Tectonics

Front

What is Pangea?

Back

The name of a supercontinent that existed 280 million years ago.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep ocean trench and back into the mantle.

Front

What do tectonic plates move around on?

Back

The asthenosphere.

Front

What type of boundary is formed when two tectonic plates slide past each other?

Back

Transform boundary.

Front

What is sea floor spreading?

Back

The process that continually adds new crust to the ocean floor along both sides of the mid-ocean ridge.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

The rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Front

What is the asthenosphere?

Back

The semi-fluid layer of the mantle on which tectonic plates move.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large pieces of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with each other.

Front

What is a convergent boundary?

Back

A tectonic boundary where two plates collide, often forming mountains or causing subduction.

Front

What is a divergent boundary?

Back

A tectonic boundary where two plates move apart, often creating new crust.