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Plate Teconics Unit

6th Grade Unit on Plate Tectonics

Terms

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Mid-Ocean Ridge
The longest mountain chain in the world. It goes through almost every ocean and is caused by divergent plate boundaries.
transform plate boundary
Two tectonic plates travel past each other. The slow grinding movement of the plates often cause earthquakes.
earthquake
Sudden movement or shaking of the Earth usually caused by tectonic plate movement.
Theory of Plate Tectonics
The idea that the lithosphere is broken into huge slabs called tectonic plates that slowly move across the Earth's surface.
subduction zone
A convergent plate boundary where two plates collide. One of the plates is forced into the mantle where it melts.
Pangaea
A giant land mass made up of all the continents that existed around 200 million years ago
seismograph
A machine used to record the seismic waves that are caused by earthquakes.
volcanologist
A scientist who studies volcanoes.
tsunami
A large destructive wave that is usually caused by an underwater earthquake.
focus
The starting point of an earthquake. (The first place the rocks begin to move.)
asthenosphere
An area of the mantle where hot molten rock form convection currents.
lava
Hot molten rock above the Earth's surface.
geothermal energy
Natural heat from the Earth used as energy.
Richter Scale
A scale of numbers from 1 to 10 used measure the strength of an earthquake.
epicenter
The point on the surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. This area is usually hardest hit by the earthquake.
seismologist
A scientist who studies earthquakes.
convergent plate boundary
A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other.
seismic waves
Vibrations caused by earthquakes. Engery or vibrations travel away from an earthquake in all directions.
fault
A crack in the ground caused by tectonic plate movement.
tectonic plate
Hugh sections of the broken lithosphere which move slowly across the Earth.
Continental Drift Theory
The idea that all of the continents were once a giant landmass called Pangaea. Over time the continents drifted apart, they are still drifting today.
lithosphere
The solid part of the Earth that is made up of the crust and upper mantle.
divergent plate boundary
A tectonic plate boundary where two plates divide or pull away from each other.
convection currents
Hot and cooler magma form currents that are located in the asthenosphere.
Sea-Floor Spreading
An area underwater where divergent plate boundaries cause the sea floor to spread apart increasing in size.
rift
A deep valley caused by tectonic plates pulling apart at divergent plate boundaries.
magma
Hot molten rock found below the Earth's surface.

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