Plate Tectonics

Which scientist developed the theory of continental drift?

Sediment age and thickness increases are you move away from a mid-ocean ridge.

When one plate sinks below another plate, it pulls on the rest of the plate, resulting in _.

Bands of rock on the seafloor showing alternate magnetic orientation indicates

_ occurs when the plates are moved by convection currents.

_ is the process in which the denser plate slides under the less-dense plate.

Wegener's theory was not accepted because he could not prove how the continents moved.

Molten material below Earth's surface is called

occurs when new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges & old crust moves away from the ridge

Mid-ocean ridges are longer than any mountain range on land.

The plates are part of Earth's

Which scientist proposed the theory of seafloor spreading?

_ pushes plates away from each other at mid-ocean ridges.

_ form when two continental plates collide and neither is subducted.

In the 1940s, technology was used to map the depth of the oceans.

When two plates collide, a _ plate boundary occurs.

This tectonic plate is the largest.

What was the name of the supercontinent that once existed on Earth?

Matching _ on different continents are evidence for continental drift.

The hypothesis that continents have slowly moved to their current location is called

There is less thermal energy near mid-ocean ridges.

__ occur at transform plate boundaries.

This part of the mantle is so hot that it flows like plastic.

A _ plate boundary occurs when two plates separate.

A _ plate boundary occurs when two plates slide by each other.

The presence of the same __ on several continents supports the hypothesis of continental drift.

Plate tectonics is able to explain why volcanoes and earthquakes happen in certain places.

The youngest rocks on the ocean floor are located

The place where two plates meet is called a(n)

One piece of evidence for seafloor spreading is the magnetic reversal of rocks.

Which scientist proposed the theory of plate tectonics?

Scientists are now able to measure how the continents move.

How does seafloor spreading support continental drift?

There are _forces that cause tectonic plate boundaries.

Many early mapmakers thought Earth's continents had moved based on

Older, cooler, denser rock is found farther from the mid-ocean ridges than newer rock.

In the middle of the oceans are large mountains ranges called