Plate Tectonic History and Theory Vocabulary

Greek for “all Land”. A Supercontinent theorized by Wegener

• Pangaea

• supercontinent

• continental drift

• Rodinia

German Scientist who proposed the theory of continental drift

• Alfred Wegener

• Harry Hammond Hess

• Albert Einstein

• Pavlov

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

American Navy Admiral who helped propose Seafloor spreading, leading to plate tectonic theory

• Alfred Wegener

• Harry Hammond Hess

• Albert Einstein

• Pavlov

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

A large landmass that is made of several connected continents

• Pangea

• supercontinent

• Rodinia

• lithosphere

theory that states heated mantle flows upwards to the crust and drags the crust apart in area, allowing for magma to come out and then reform into new seafloor

• Continental Drift

• Plate Tectonic Theory

• Seafloor Spreading

• magma plume theory

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Theory that says the continents have drifted to their current locations, and they were once all connected.

• Continental Drift

• Plate Tectonic Theory

• Seafloor Spreading

• magma plume theory

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Theory stating that the earth’s lithosphere is broken into plates that float on top of the asthenosphere. These plates bump and spread and create different major landforms.

• Continental Drift

• Plate Tectonic Theory

• Seafloor Spreading

• magma plume theory

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The rigid, rocky part of the crust and upper mantle

• lithosphere

• asthenosphere

• crust

• basalt

A hard volcanic rock that forms much of the ocean floor.

• lithosphere

• asthenosphere

• crust

• basalt

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

The semi-solid upper mantle that can can flow under heat and pressure.

• lithosphere

• asthenosphere

• crust

• basalt

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1