Geology Vocabulary

3. thinner, more dense crust made of basalt that forms the seafloor and is found under the ocean.
7. a plate boundary where two plates slide past each other (not toward or away
8. a deep valley that forms where two continental plates move apart.
11. The study of the origin, history and structure of the earth.
13. the layer of the earth between the crust and the core
14. States that the earth's surface is broken into pieces called tectonic plates that move because of convection in the mantle
16. name of a large landmass made of all the continents joined together about 200 million year ago. Supercontinent
19. a plate boundary where two plates move toward each other and creates mountains or volcanoes
20. A very deep valley in the ocean floor that forms along a subduction zone
21. The transfer of thermal energy (heat) where material gets heated and rises before cooling down and sinking. Circular motion

1. a plate boundary where two plates move away from each other and forms new ocean crust. Creates Mid Ocean Ridges and Rift Valleys
2. process by which new ocean crust forms along a mid‐oceanic ridge and older crust moves away from the ridge Lithosphere‐ the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
4. States that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations
5. when an oceanic plate sinks beneath another tectonic plate. Creates trenches and volcanoes
6. Where two tectonic plates made of lithosphere meet or touch
9. A section of the Earth's crust, lithosphere, that moves because of convection in the mantle.
10. The layer of the mantle where convection currents are thought to cause the movement of tectonic plate.
12. a break or crack in Earth's surface. Caused by shifting and moving plates.
15. an underwater mountain range where a divergentboundary causes new ocean floor to form.
17. molten (melted) rock beneath the earth's surface
18. thicker, less dense crust that forms the large landmasses.