The theory explaining how plates move and interact
Plate Tectonics
The rigid outer layer of Earth (crust + upper mantle)
Lithosphere
The idea that continents have slowly moved to their current locations over millions of years.
Continental Drift
The process where new ocean crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and slowly moves away, pushing older crust aside.
Sea-Floor Spreading
A place where melted rock (magma) from deep inside the Earth rises up and creates volcanoes, even in the middle of a plate. Example: Hawaii.
Hot Spot
When two continental plates collide and push up mountains
Convergent Boundary with Mountain Building
The edges where two tectonic plates meet
Plate Boundary
An area where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another into the mantle.
Subduction Zone
Where two plates move apart, creating new crust
Divergent Boundary
An underwater mountain chain formed by rising magma at a divergent boundary
Mid-Ocean Ridge
The shape and features of Earth’s surface
Topography
The soft, plastic-like layer of the mantle that moves slowly and allows tectonic plates to shift
Asthenosphere
Where two tectonic plates move toward each other
Convergent Boundary
A huge “supercontinent” that formed hundreds of millions of years ago when almost all of Earth’s land was joined together in one big piece. Over time, it slowly broke apart into the smaller continents we see today, like North America, A
Pangaea
A break or crack in Earth’s crust where rocks can move past each other, often causing earthquakes.
Fault
When an oceanic plate sinks beneath another plate
Convergent Boundary with Subduction
Like baking a cake, where heat and ingredients change the form
Geoscience Process
Where plates slide past each other horizontally
Transform Boundary
A circle of volcanoes and earthquakes around the Pacific Ocean caused by active plate boundaries.
Ring of Fire
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