Topic 5: Plate Tectonics

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theory

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an explanation for why a phenomenon

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hypothesis

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an idea that can be tested by experimentation or investigation

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law

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description of a repeated pattern observed in nature, without an explanation for the pattern

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continental drift

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the idea that the continents were once fused together but slowly drifted apart over time

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tectonic plates

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more than a dozen distinct plates that make up Earth’s surface and slowly move in different directions

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supercontinent

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One giant continent into which most or all of the continents were assembled long ago.

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superposition

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The condition of undisturbed sedimentary rock in which the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest layer is at the top.

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convection current

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A type of thermal energy transfer in which differences in temperature and density of fluids make them rise and fall.

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convergent boundary

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Boundary where two tectonic plates move together, or converge.

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divergent boundary

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Boundary where two tectonic plates move away, or diverge, from one another.