Earth's Structure & Changes Vocabulary Review

Front

Transform Boundary

Back

A plate boundary where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past one another.

Front

Continental Drift

Back

A hypothesis that states that Earth’s continents were once joined together and later split and drifted apart.

Front

Divergent Boundary

Back

A plate boundary where tectonic plates move apart from each other.

Front

Cambrian Period

Back

The time when most of the major groups of animals first appear in the fossil record.

Front

Fossil

Back

Any trace of an ancient organism that is preserved in rock.

Front

Convergent Boundary

Back

A plate boundary where tectonic plates move towards each other, often causing one plate to be forced below another.

Front

Subduction Zone

Back

An area where one tectonic plate is being pushed under another plate.

Front

Seafloor Spreading

Back

The process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and older crust is pushed away.

Front

Mid-Ocean Ridge

Back

An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics.

Front

Mass Extinction

Back

A significant and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth, often due to catastrophic events.