Vocabulary Plate Tectonics

The hypothesis that a single large landmass broke up into smaller land masses to form the continents.

• continental drift

• Sea floor spreading

• Asthenosphere

• pangea

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The process by which new oceanic lithosphere(sea floor) forms when magma rises to Earth’s surface at mid ocean ridges and solidifies

• continental drift

• Sea floor spreading

• Asthenosphere

• pangea

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The theory that explains how large pieces of the lithosphere called plates move and change shape

• Rifting

• Fault

• Plate tectonics

• Divergent Boundary

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust, and the ridged upper part of the mantle

• asthenosphere

• lithosphere

• pangea

• sea floor spreading

The solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere

• asthenosphere

• lithosphere

• pangea

• sea floor spreading

The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other

• convergent boundary

• transform boundary

• divergent boundary

• fault

The boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding

• convergent boundary

• transform boundary

• divergent boundary

• fault

The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally

• convergent boundary

• transform boundary

• divergent boundary

• fault

The process by which Earth’s crust breaks apart; can occur within continental crust or oceanic crust

• rifting

• fault

• mountain range

• sea floor spreading

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The supercontinent that formed 300 million years ago and that began to break up 200 million years ago

• Lithosphere

• Pangea

• Mountain Range

• Continental Drift

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

NGSS.HS-ESS1-6

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1