Plate Tectonics Vocab

2. an explanation that ties together many hypotheses and observations
3. the part of the earth’s crust that underlies the oceans, made of basalt.
4. consists of the crust and the upper part of the mantle.
6. fracture in the earth's crust
7. the process by which collision of the earth's crustal plates results in one plate being drawn down or overridden by another
8. to become fractured along a plane.
9. a boundary between plates that are moving toward each other
12. the layer of Earth between the crust and the core.
14. A long, narrow chain of hills or mountains.
16. the idea that continents move around on Earth’s surface.
17. – an opening in Earth’s crust from which lava, gas, and ash erupt.
19. shaking and vibration of Earth’s surface.
20. the movement of plates that make up the surface of Earth.
22. a rigid section of Earth’s crust that moves very slowly.
24. a convergent boundary where one plate is sliding beneath another.
26. a summary of many experimental results and observations
27. an ancient supercontinent.

1. a curved chain of islands
2. a process in which new ocean floor is created as molten material from the earth's mantle rises between plates or ridges and spreads out.
5. a boundary between plates that are sliding past one another.
9. the transfer of heat by the mass movement of heated particles into an area of cooler fluid or gas
10. a boundary between plates that are moving away from each other.
11. thick, less-dense lithospheric plates that are made of granite and form the continents
13. a long narrow zone of faulting
15. the top of an established mantle plume
16. the part of the earth's crust that underlies the continents, made of granite, less dense
18. , dense lithospheric plates that are made of basalt and form the ocean floor
21. a long, steep-sided, narrow depression in the ocean floor.
23. The border between two tectonic plates
25. the rocky outer layer of Earth.