Plate Tectonics

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Theory of Plate Tectonics

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The scientific theory that describes the large-scale motion of Earth's lithosphere.

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Tectonic Plates

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Massive slabs of solid rock that make up Earth's surface and move over the mantle.

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Pangea

Back

A supercontinent that existed,

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Alfred Wegener

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A meteorologist and geophysicist who proposed the theory of continental drift.

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Seafloor Spreading

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The process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and slowly moves away.

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Fault

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A fracture in Earth's crust where blocks of land have moved past each other.

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Crust

Back

The outermost layer of Earth, composed of rock, that forms the continents and ocean floors.

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Mantle

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The layer of Earth between the crust and the core.

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Core

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The innermost layer of Earth, consisting of a liquid outer core and a solid inner core.

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Mantle Convection

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The slow, churning motion of Earth's mantle caused by heat from the core.