Plate Tectonics

The outermost shell of a rocky planet

Layer of molten rock between the crust and core

Made up of mostly Iron. Separated into the outer core ( molten ) and inner core ( solid )

The layer of rock that makes up the outer park of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle (lithosphere plates)

The theory that continents gradually drifted over time to their present positions

A thin layer of Earth, about 150 miles thick, at the border between the mantle and the crust.

The process in which the hotter parts of a gas or liquid rise to the top and the cooler, denser arts sink.

When two tectonic plates come together

Uplift of crustal plates that form elevated landmasses

A vent or fissure in Earth’s surface through which magma and gases are expelled

When tectonic plates split apart

When tectonic plates slide past each other

Breaks in crust. The movement causes seismic waves which produce earthquakes.

A long ridge of underwater volcanoes between two diverging oceanic plates.

A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench.

A long narrow valley between two diverging continental plates.

A place where one tectonic plate sinks under another and melts. Also forms a trench.