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Interactive Vocabulary
Continental Drift theory: the hypothesis that the Earth’s continents were once one large landmass and have moved over geologic time relative to each other
Convergent Boundaries: plate boundaries where the plates are moving toward each other
Divergent Boundaries: plate boundaries where the plates are moving apart
Fossils: mineral replacements, preserved remains, or traces of organisms that lived in the past
Plate Tectonics: Earth's surface is broken into large pieces called plates that are constantly moving and changing at a very slow rate
Superposition: each rock layer is older than the one above it
Transform Boundaries: plate boundaries where the plates are moving past each other in different directions
Related Vocabulary
Related Vocabulary
Alfred Wegener: German geophysicist and meteorologist who first fully articulated the theory of continental drift in 1912
Asthenosphere: a semi-solid layer of Earth's upper mantle that lies below the lithosphere
Continental Plate: a large, moving piece of the Earth's surface that is made up of continental crust
Convection: a vertical transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere, especially by updrafts and downdrafts in an unstable atmosphere
Dense: closely compacted in substance.
Earthquakes: a sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action.
Harry Hess: one of the "founding fathers" of the unifying theory of plate tectonics.
Hot spots: areas of the mantle where hot plumes rise from deep within the Earth.
Index fossils: fossils that are distinctive, widespread, and abundant, and that existed for a limited time in geologic history
Lithosphere: the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Magnetic striping: a pattern of magnetic fields in the ocean floor that shows the history of seafloor spreading.
Mountains (fault block): mountains that form when large blocks of the Earth's crust break and are pushed upwards by tensional forces
Mountains (folded): formed by the effects of folding on layers within the upper part of the Earth's crust.
Ocean basin: a large, bowl-shaped depression in the Earth's surface that is filled with water and separated from the continents
Oceanic plate: a tectonic plate that moves slowly beneath the ocean
Pangaea: a supercontinent that existed millions of years ago, when all the continents on Earth were joined together
Ring of Fire: tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes
Sea floor spreading: a geologic process that creates new ocean floor by moving tectonic plates apart
Subduction zone: a place where two tectonic plates meet and one slides beneath the other
Supervolcanoe: a volcano that has had an eruption with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of 8, the largest recorded value on the index.
volcanoe: a mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust.
How does the movement of tectonic plates shape Earth's surface?
7.10: Earth and space. The student understands the causes and effects of plate tectonics. The student is expected to:
7.10.A: describe the evidence that supports that Earth has changed over time, including fossil evidence, plate tectonics, and superposition; and
7.10.B: describe how plate tectonics causes ocean basin formation, earthquakes, mountain building, and volcanic eruptions, including supervolcanoes and hot spots
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