Plate Tectonics Vocabulary

Fill in the blank: The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other is called a _________.

• divergent boundary

• convergent boundary

• transform boundary

• subduction zone

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other is known as a _________.

• convergent boundary

• divergent boundary

• transform boundary

• subduction zone

A boundary in which two plates slide past each other without creating or destroying lithosphere is called a _________.

• transform fault boundary

• convergent boundary

• divergent boundary

• subduction zone

Fill in the blank: Sudden movements of Earth's crust followed by a series of shocks are known as _________.

• earthquakes

• volcanoes

• tsunamis

• landslides

Fill in the blank: Openings in Earth's crust from which molten rock, dust, ash, and hot gases flow or erupt are called _________.

• Volcanoes

• Mountains

• Rivers

• Canyons

Fill in the blank: The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle, is called _________.

• plate tectonics

• continental drift

• seafloor spreading

• mantle convection

Fill in the blank: One plate going under another plate is known as _________.

• Subduction

• Convection

• Erosion

• Deposition

Fill in the blank: A deep valley that forms where two plates move apart is called a _________.

• rift valley

• trench

• mountain range

• plateau

Fill in the blank: A deep valley in the ocean floor formed at subduction zones is known as _________.

• Trenches

• Ridges

• Seamounts

• Abyssal Plains

Fill in the blank: An undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary is called a _________.

• mid-ocean ridge

• subduction zone

• ocean trench

• continental shelf