Printable Plate Tectonics flash cards
26 words
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http://dynamo.dictionary.com/43076/plate-tectonics
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| asthenosphere |
region below the lithosphere, variously estimated as being from fifty to several hundred miles thick |
| compression |
degree to which a substance has decreased in size after being or while being subject to stress |
| conduction |
transfer of heat between two parts of a stationary system |
| continental crust |
part of the earth's crust that underlies the continents and continental shelves |
| continental drift |
lateral movement of continents resulting from the motion of crustal plates |
| convection |
vertical transport of atmospheric properties, esp. upward |
| convection cell |
volume of circulating fluid that is heated from below and cooled from above |
| elastic rebound theory |
sudden freeing of the strains that amass at plate boundaries on the earth's lithosphere |
| epicenter |
directly above the true center of disturbance from which the shock waves of an earthquake radiate |
| focus (hypocenter) |
point of origin of an earthquake |
| folding |
bend in a layer of rock or in another planar feature such as foliation or the cleavage of a mineral |
| hot spot |
region of molten rock below and within the lithosphere that leaves a record of volcanic activity |
| inner core |
solid sphere in the middle of the fluid core such as the iron-nickel core of the Earth |
| lithosphere |
solid portion of the earth |
| magnitude |
greatness of size or amount |
| mantle |
portion of the earth between the crust and the core |
| mid-ocean ridge |
submarine mountain ranges that extend through the Atlantic, Indian, and South Pacific oceans |
| ocean floor spreading |
new oceanic lithosphere is created at oceanic ridges |
| oceanic crust |
outer layer of the earth deep under the continents and six miles deep under the oceans |
| outer core |
layer located directly under the mantle composed of liquid nickel and iron |
| rift |
shallow or rocky part in a stream |
| seismic waves |
shock waves in solid rock generated by earthquakes or underground explosions |
| subduction zone |
collision of the earth's crustal plates results in one plate's being drawn down by another |
| subsidence |
gradual sinking of landforms to a lower level as a result of earth movements |
| tectonic plate |
two sub-layers of the earth's crust that move and whose interaction causes earthquakes, volcanoes |
| trench |
long, steep-sided, narrow depression in the ocean floor |
| asthenosphere |
region below the lithosphere, variously estimated as being from fifty to several hundred miles thick |
| compression |
degree to which a substance has decreased in size after being or while being subject to stress |
| conduction |
transfer of heat between two parts of a stationary system |
| continental crust |
part of the earth's crust that underlies the continents and continental shelves |
| continental drift |
lateral movement of continents resulting from the motion of crustal plates |
| convection |
vertical transport of atmospheric properties, esp. upward |
| convection cell |
volume of circulating fluid that is heated from below and cooled from above |
| elastic rebound theory |
sudden freeing of the strains that amass at plate boundaries on the earth's lithosphere |
| epicenter |
directly above the true center of disturbance from which the shock waves of an earthquake radiate |
| focus (hypocenter) |
point of origin of an earthquake |
| folding |
bend in a layer of rock or in another planar feature such as foliation or the cleavage of a mineral |
| hot spot |
region of molten rock below and within the lithosphere that leaves a record of volcanic activity |
| inner core |
solid sphere in the middle of the fluid core such as the iron-nickel core of the Earth |
| lithosphere |
solid portion of the earth |
| magnitude |
greatness of size or amount |
| mantle |
portion of the earth between the crust and the core |
| mid-ocean ridge |
submarine mountain ranges that extend through the Atlantic, Indian, and South Pacific oceans |
| ocean floor spreading |
new oceanic lithosphere is created at oceanic ridges |
| oceanic crust |
outer layer of the earth deep under the continents and six miles deep under the oceans |
| outer core |
layer located directly under the mantle composed of liquid nickel and iron |
| rift |
shallow or rocky part in a stream |
| seismic waves |
shock waves in solid rock generated by earthquakes or underground explosions |
| subduction zone |
collision of the earth's crustal plates results in one plate's being drawn down by another |
| subsidence |
gradual sinking of landforms to a lower level as a result of earth movements |
| tectonic plate |
two sub-layers of the earth's crust that move and whose interaction causes earthquakes, volcanoes |
| trench |
long, steep-sided, narrow depression in the ocean floor |
