Plate Tectonics

Front

What is Plate Tectonics?

Back

The theory that explains the structure and movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates.

Front

How far do tectonic plates move each year?

Back

Centimeters per year.

Front

Who proposed the theory of continental drift?

Back

Alfred Wegener.

Front

What happens at a divergent boundary?

Back

Tectonic plates move away from one another.

Front

Where does seafloor spreading occur?

Back

Mid-ocean ridges.

Front

Where are the youngest rocks on Earth found?

Back

Along mid-ocean ridges.

Front

What is a convergent boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where plates move towards each other, often causing one plate to be forced below another.

Front

What is a transform boundary?

Back

A tectonic plate boundary where plates slide past one another.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process by which one tectonic plate moves under another plate and sinks into the mantle.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with one another.