Plate Tectonics Vocabulary Practice

Cracks or breaks in Earth's crust where rocks have moved past each other, forming along plate boundaries and causing earthquakes when movement occurs. Fill in the blank: ____________

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Earth's rigid outer layer that includes the crust and uppermost part of the mantle, forming a solid shell that "floats" on the more fluid layer below. Fill in the blank: ____________

Hot, molten rock found beneath Earth's surface that forms new crust when it cools and solidifies, rising to the surface at divergent boundaries and volcanoes. Fill in the blank: ____________

An underwater mountain chain formed at divergent plate boundaries where new ocean floor is created through seafloor spreading. Fill in the blank: ____________

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

A supercontinent that existed about 300 million years ago when all of today's continents were joined together in one giant landmass before breaking apart due to plate tectonics. Fill in the blank: ____________

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The edges where two tectonic plates meet and interact, including three main types: convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries where most earthquakes and volcanoes occur. Fill in the blank: ____________

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

A long, narrow valley formed where continental plates pull apart at divergent boundaries on land. Fill in the blank: ____________

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

A zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions around the Pacific Ocean, formed by many plate boundaries surrounding the Pacific Plate and containing about 75% of the world's active volcanoes is called ________.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

The process where new ocean floor is created at mid-ocean ridges as magma rises from the mantle and solidifies to form new crust while older ocean floor moves away is called ________.

An instrument that detects and records earthquake waves, helping scientists locate earthquakes, measure their strength, and study plate movement and boundary locations is called a ________.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-2