Plate Tectonics

Front

What is Plate Tectonics?

Back

The theory that explains the structure and movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with each other.

Front

What is Continental Drift Theory?

Back

The hypothesis that continents have moved over geological time and were once joined together.

Front

Who proposed the Continental Drift Theory?

Back

Alfred Wegener.

Front

What is a volcano?

Back

An opening on the Earth's crust through which hot molten rock flows out from deep inside the Earth.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process where one tectonic plate moves under another plate.

Front

What causes earthquakes?

Back

Earthquakes are caused when tectonic plates slide against each other, releasing energy.

Front

What is a fault line?

Back

A fracture in the Earth's crust where blocks of land have moved past each other.

Front

What are the three types of plate boundaries?

Back

Divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries.

Front

What happens at a divergent boundary?

Back

Tectonic plates move apart, creating new crust as magma rises to the surface.