Across
- 3. hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, & drifted to their present locations
- 5. process by which new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms as magma rises to Earth's surface & solidifies at a mid-ocean ridge
- 7. process by which Earth's crust breaks apart; can occur within continental crust or oceanic crust
- 11. theory that explains how large pieces of the lithosphere (plates) move & change shape
- 12. super continent that formed 300 million years ago & that began to break up beginning 250 million years ago
- 13. piece of lithosphere that has a unique geologic history & that may be part of a larger piece of lithosphere, such as a continent
- 14. boundary between tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
- 15. boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
Down
- 1. process by which super continents form & break apart over millions of years
- 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
- 4. single, large ocean that covered Earth's surface during the time the supercontinent Pangaea existed
- 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
- 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
- 9. boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding
- 10. solid, outer layer of Earth; consists of the crust & the rigid upper part of the mantle