8.E.2.1 Vocabulary
Tectonic Plates – giant chunks of land or ocean floor in which the lithosphere is broken up into
plates
Theory of Plate Tectonics – a theory that states that Earth’s lithosphere, or land, is broken
into large sections called tectonic plates that move and change position over time (aka
continental drift)
Fault – a break or crack in Earth’s surface along which movement occurs
Convergent Boundary – the location where two tectonic plates push together where either both
plates push up or one is pushed underneath the other plate
Divergent Boundary – the location where two tectonic plates pull apart
Transform Boundary – the location where two tectonic plates slide past each other
Sedimentary rock –formed at the surface of the Earth, either in water or on land. They are
layered accumulations of sediments-pieces of rock, minerals, or animal/plant material.
Convection Current – The flow that transfers heat within a fluid created from the heating and
cooling of the fluid.
Pangaea – a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras
*Lithosphere – the uppermost layers of Earth made up of solid rock where the top layer is
called the crust
*Asthenosphere – the soft layer of the mantle made up of semisolid rock that flows slowly
8.E.2.1 Vocabulary
Tectonic Plates – giant chunks of land or ocean floor in which the lithosphere is broken up into
Theory of Plate Tectonics – a theory that states that Earth’s lithosphere, or land, is broken
into large sections called tectonic plates that move and change position over time (aka
continental drift)
Fault – a break or crack in Earth’s surface along which movement occurs
Convergent Boundary – the location where two tectonic plates push together where either both
plates push up or one is pushed underneath the other plate
Divergent Boundary – the location where two tectonic plates pull apart
Transform Boundary – the location where two tectonic plates slide past each other
Sedimentary rock –formed at the surface of the Earth, either in water or on land. They are
layered accumulations of sediments-pieces of rock, minerals, or animal/plant material.
Convection Current – The flow that transfers heat within a fluid created from the heating and
cooling of the fluid.
Pangaea – a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras
*Lithosphere – the uppermost layers of Earth made up of solid rock where the top layer is
called the crust
*Asthenosphere – the soft layer of the mantle made up of semisolid rock that flows slowly