Science Test: Plate Tectonics

Front 1

seismic wave-

Back 1

a vibration that travels through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake

Front 2

lithosphere-

Back 2

a rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust. One of four spheres into which scientists divide Earth.

Front 3

heat transfer-

Back 3

the movement of energy from a warmer object to a cooler object.

Front 4

density-

Back 4

the amount of mass in a given space; mass per unit volume

Front 5

pressure-

Back 5

the force pushing on a surface or area

Front 6

crust-

Back 6

a layer of rock that forms Earth's outer skin

Front 7

mantle-

Back 7

a layer of hot rock

Front 8

asthenosphere-

Back 8

a layer of soft material that flows slowly

Front 9

outer core-

Back 9

a layer of molten material that surrounds the inner core.

Front 10

inner core-

Back 10

a dense ball of solid metal

Front 11

radiation-

Back 11

the transfer of heat through empty space

Front 12

conduction-

Back 12

heat transfer by direct contact of particles of matter

Front 13

convection-

Back 13

heat transfer by the movement of a heated fluid.

Front 14

convection currents-

Back 14

the flow that transfers heat within a fluid

Front 15

fossil-

Back 15

any trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in a rock

Front 16

mid-ocean ridge-

Back 16

the longest chain of mountains in the world

Front 17

sonar-

Back 17

a device that bounces sound waves off under water objects and then records the echoes of these sound waves.

Front 18

subduction-

Back 18

the process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle

Front 19

sea-floor spreading-

Back 19

the process that continually adds new material to the ocean floor

Front 20

deep-ocean trench-

Back 20

when the ocean floor plunges into deep under-water canyons

Front 21

plate-

Back 21

the lithosphere broken into separate sections

Front 22

fault-

Back 22

breaks in Earth's crust where rocks have slipped past each other

Front 23

plate tectonics-

Back 23

the geological theory that states that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant, slow motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle.

Front 24

rift valley-

Back 24

a deep valley that forms along the divergent boundary

Front 25

transform boundary-

Back 25

a place where two plates slip past each other, moving in opposite directions.

Front 26

divergent boundary-

Back 26

the place where two plates move apart

Front 27

convergent boundary-

Back 27

the place where two plates come together

Front 28

continental drift-

Back 28

the hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth's surface

Front 29

The three layers of the Earth are:

Back 29

the crust, the mantle, and the core