Plate Tectonics Vocabulary Review

The hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth's surface.

• plate tectonics

• continental drift

• sea-floor spreading

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake

• plate

• magma

• seismic wave

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions

• convergent boundary

• divergent boudnary

• transform boundary

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

a weak spot in the crust where magma has come to the surface

• volcano

• hot spot

• earthquake

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Not currently active but able to become active in the future (as with a volcano)

• extinct

• mantle

• dormant

The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's curst and core

• mantle

• crust

• lithosphere

A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth

• crust

• mantle

• inner core

The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle

• continental drift

• Pangaea

• plate tectonics

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

a plate boundary where two plates move away from each other

• divergent boundary

• convergent boundary

• transform boundary

A layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth

• outer core

• crust

• mantle