Plate Tectonic

4. An opening in Earth's crust through which molten rock (magma), gases, and ash escape, often forming a mountain.
6. The shaking of Earth's surface caused by sudden movement along a fault or plate boundary.
8. Low areas between hills or mountains, often formed by erosion or movement of Earth's crust.
10. Relating to the structure and movement of Earth's crust, especially the large plates beneath the surface that produce earthquakes, mountains, and volcanoes.
13. Large pieces of Earth's crust and upper mantle that move and interact to shape the planet's surface.
14. When two tectonic plates push against each other, usually forming mountains and causing earthquakes due to intense pressure.
15. Melted rock found beneath Earth's surface; when magma erupts onto the surface, it becomes lava.
16. The thin, outermost layer of the Earth, made of solid rock, forming continents and ocean floors.
18. A crack in the Earth's crust where blocks of earth move past each other, often causing earthquakes.

1. The movement of heat and material within the mantle, causing plates to move.
2. When two tectonic plates move toward each other, often causing earthquakes or mountain-building.
3. The process of mountain-building through movements and collisions of tectonic plates.
5. The thick layer of rock beneath Earth's crust, which is both solid and partly molten and slowly moves, driving plate movement.
7. Long, raised areas, often under the ocean, formed by the spreading and upwelling of magma between separating tectonic plates.
9. The process where tectonic plates move apart and new crust forms from magma, usually at mid-ocean ridges.
11. The force that squeezes or presses together rocks or plates, causing them to fold or break.
12. A scientist who studies the origin, structure, and processes of Earth, especially rocks and minerals.
14. The central part of Earth, made of iron and nickel, divided into a solid inner core and a liquid outer core.
17. A large ocean wave usually caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
18. A bend in layers of rock or Earth's crust usually formed by compression.