Plate Tectonics
Across
- 3. comprised the northern continents
- 5. The circular motion of material caused by variations in temperature and density, responsible for the movement of tectonic plates in the Earth's mantle.
- 8. The boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other, creating space that can be filled with new crust, often accompanied by mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys.
- 11. A semi-fluid layer beneath the lithosphere in the upper mantle where convection currents occur, allowing for the movement of tectonic plates.
- 12. A specific type of convergent boundary where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another, usually resulting in the formation of deep ocean trenches and volcanic arcs.
- 14. The name given to the vast ocean surrounding Pangaea during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.
- 15. The boundary where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally, causing earthquakes along fault lines.
- 16. Large, rigid sections of the Earth's lithosphere that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere and interact at plate boundaries.
Down
- 1. The rigid outermost layer of the Earth, including the crust and the upper part of the mantle.
- 2. A modern theory that explains the movement of the Earth's lithospheric plates and their interactions at plate boundaries, which includes the concept of continental drift.
- 4. Proposed by Alfred Wegener, this theory suggests that continents were once connected in a supercontinent called Pangaea and have since drifted apart.
- 6. The boundary where two tectonic plates move toward each other, often leading to subduction or the collision of crustal material.
- 7. The supercontinent that existed approximately 335-175 million years ago, believed to be the result of the aggregation of all the Earth's continents.
- 9. A German meteorologist and geophysicist who proposed the theory of continental drift in the early 20th century, suggesting that continents were once joined in a supercontinent called Pangaea. His work laid the foundation for modern plate tectonics theory.
- 10. included the southern continents.
- 13. The process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, pushing older crust away from the ridge, providing evidence for plate tectonics.