Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics Vocabulary List
Plate Tectonics-the theory that explains how large pieces of Earth’s outermost layer, called tectonic
plates, move and change shape.
Convection Current-the movement of matter within earth’s mantle and asthenosphere due to
differences in density.
Transform Plate Boundary-The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other
horizontally.
Convergent Plate boundary- the boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding or coming
together.
Divergent Plate Boundary-the boundary between two tectonic plates that moving away from each
other.
Subduction Zone-A convergent plate boundary where a more dense oceanic plate slides underneath a
less dense continental plate.
Crust-the thin and solid outermost layer of Earth above the mantle.
Mantel-The layer of rock between Earth’s crust and core.
Lithosphere-The solid upper layer of Earth that consists of the crust and rigid upper mantle.
Asthenosphere-The soft layer of the mantel. The layer that the plates float on.
Core-The central part of earth below the mantel.
Inner Core-the sold, innermost part of the core.
Outer Core-the liquid, outer part of Earth’s core.
Density-how compact an object is. The mass of an object compared to its volume.