Stemscopedia Plate Tectonics and Vocab

The theory that continents were once connected but have drifted apart

• plate tectonics

• Pangea

• continental drift

• pyroclastic flows

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The upper layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

• mantle

• crust

• core

• lithosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

Molten rock below the surface of the Earth

• magma

• mantle

• lava

• crust

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

A shaking of the Earth’s surface due to a release of energy within the crust that generates seismic waves

• pyroclastic flows

• lithosphere

• seafloor spreading

• earthquake

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

This piece of evidence that Alfred Wegener used to prove the continents were once connected involved finding remains of once-living organisms on different continents.

• jigsaw evidence

• fossil evidence

• rock evidence

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

One reason why continents are higher than the ocean floor is because oceanic crust is _______ than continental crust.

• less dense

• denser

Occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other.

• Divergent boundary

• South American plate

• African plate

• Pacific plate

Major geological event that occurs when plates shift suddenly and release stored energy; frequent occurrences along all types of plate boundaries.

• Earthquake

• Plate boundary

• Subduction

• Antarctic plate

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

A tectonic plate division of the lithosphere that includes the continental crust of India and Australia and the surrounding oceanic crust.

• Indo-Australian plate

• Ocean basin

• Pacific plate

• Transform boundary

A tectonic plate division of the lithosphere that includes the continental crust of Greenland, North America, Siberia, and the surrounding oceanic crust.

• North American plate

• Mountain building

• Eurasian plate

• Volcanic eruption

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3