Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Vocabulary

Fill in the blank: The place where two plates meet is called a _________.

• plate boundary/margin

• fault line

• rift valley

• ocean trench

Fill in the blank: A block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle is called a ___________.

• tectonic plate

• magma chamber

• ocean trench

• fault line

Fill in the blank: A plate boundary where two plates MOVE AWAY from each other is called a ___________.

• divergent / constructive boundary

• convergent / destructive boundary

• transform / conservative boundary

• collision boundary

Fill in the blank: A plate boundary where two plates MOVE TOWARDS each other is called a ___________.

• convergent / destructive boundary

• divergent / constructive boundary

• transform boundary

• passive margin

Fill in the blank: A plate boundary where two plates SLIDE PAST EACH OTHER in opposite directions is called a ___________.

• transform / conservative boundary

• divergent boundary

• convergent boundary

• subduction zone

Fill in the blank: Circular currents in the mantle caused by the magma being heated by the core off the Earth are called ___________.

• convection currents

• subduction zones

• fault lines

• tectonic plates

Fill in the blank: The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations is called ___________.

• continental drift

• plate tectonics

• seafloor spreading

• evolution

Fill in the blank: These tectonic events happen when pressure at fault lines (plate boundaries and fractures) suddenly causes the earth’s crust to slip, releasing energy (seismic shockwaves) that shakes the ground. This event is called an ___________.

• earthquake

• volcano

• tsunami

• hurricane

Fill in the blank: Breaks and tears in the Earth’s surface (at tectonic plate boundaries and fractures) where earthquakes happen are called ___________.

• fault lines / faults

• volcanoes

• trenches

• mountain ranges

Fill in the blank: Vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake are called ___________.

• seismic waves

• tectonic plates

• fault lines

• volcanic eruptions