Vocabulary Matching for Plate Tectonics
Plate boundary where the plates slide past
each other
Transform boundary
Plate boundary where the plates move apart
Divergent boundary
Plate boundary where the plates collide
Convergent boundary
One tectonic plate is pushed
beneath another plate
Subduction
Earthquakes
These events are common at plate boundaries,
and are caused by the motions of the plates or
of magma.
Drafted Sept 2015
by the Lunar and Planetary Institute
Vocabulary Matching for Plate Tectonics
Seismic waves
A wave from an earthquake or an explosion,
that can travel along the Earth’s surface or
through Earth’s interior
Epicenter
The point on the Earth’s surface directly above
the earthquake
Tectonic plates
Sections of the Earth’s surface that move-these sections can include both continental and
oceanic crust
Plate boundaries
The dividing line where tectonic plates meet
Oceanic crust
This type is thinner and
denser than continental
Drafted Sept 2015
by the Lunar and Planetary Institute
Vocabulary Matching for Plate Tectonics
Continental crust
This type is thicker than oceanic
and doesn’t subduct
Seafloor spreading
This happens at a mid-oceanic ridge where two
plates are moving apart and new crust is
forming.
Convection
Part of the driving force for plate tectonics, this
process moves heat from the interior of the
Earth towards the surface, as cooler plates sink
back into the mantle.
Drafted Sept 2015
by the Lunar and Planetary Institute