Plate Tectonics Review

Front

Who proposed the continental drift hypothesis in 1911?

Back

Wegener

Front

What is the study of the underwater depth of lakes or ocean floors called?

Back

Bathymetry

Front

Why was Alfred Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift dismissed by most scientists?

Back

Wegener could not identify a force that could move the continents.

Front

What is the primary cause of the movement of Earth's plates?

Back

Convection.

Front

Which ocean is shrinking due to plate tectonic movement?

Back

Pacific Ocean.

Front

What is the theory that explains the movement of Earth's lithosphere?

Back

Plate Tectonics.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

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

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process where one tectonic plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle.

Front

What is the difference between continental crust and oceanic crust?

Back

Continental crust is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust.

Front

What is a mid-ocean ridge?

Back

An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics.