Earth & Space iScience Chapter 13 Vocab

Front

Plate tectonics

Back

The theory explaining the movement of the Earth's plates and the processes that occur at their boundaries.

Front

Tectonic plates

Back

Large, rigid pieces of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact at their boundaries.

Front

Lithosphere

Back

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

Front

Divergent plate boundary

Back

A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving away from each other, often resulting in seafloor spreading.

Front

Convergent plate boundary

Back

A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving towards each other, often resulting in subduction or mountain formation.

Front

Transform plate boundary

Back

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

Front

Subduction

Back

The process by which one tectonic plate moves under another, sinking into the mantle.

Front

Convection

Back

The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid, such as the mantle's convection currents that drive plate movements.

Front

Ridge push

Back

A tectonic process associated with divergent boundaries where the elevation of mid-ocean ridges pushes plates apart.

Front

Slab pull

Back

The force exerted by a sinking tectonic plate that pulls the rest of the plate along with it.