Earth & Space Sci-Unit 4-Ch. 10-Concept 1-Plate Tectonics

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Across
  1. 3. hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, & drifted to their present locations
  2. 5. process by which new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms as magma rises to Earth's surface & solidifies at a mid-ocean ridge
  3. 7. process by which Earth's crust breaks apart; can occur within continental crust or oceanic crust
  4. 11. theory that explains how large pieces of the lithosphere (plates) move & change shape
  5. 12. super continent that formed 300 million years ago & that began to break up beginning 250 million years ago
  6. 13. piece of lithosphere that has a unique geologic history & that may be part of a larger piece of lithosphere, such as a continent
  7. 14. boundary between tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
  8. 15. boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
Down
  1. 1. process by which super continents form & break apart over millions of years
  2. 2. long, undersea mountain chain that has a steep, narrow valley at its center, that forms as magma rises from the asthenosphere, & that creates new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) as tectonic plates move apart
  3. 4. single, large ocean that covered Earth's surface during the time the supercontinent Pangaea existed
  4. 6. solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere; made of mantle rock that flows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it
  5. 8. study of the alignment of magnetic minerals in rock, specifically as it relates to the reversal of Earth's magnetic poles; also the magnetic properties that rocks acquire during formation
  6. 9. boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding
  7. 10. solid, outer layer of Earth; consists of the crust & the rigid upper part of the mantle