Chapter 9 Earth Science Plate tectonics

the proposed supercontinent that 200 million years ago began to break apart and form the present landmasses

a boundary in which two plates move together.

theory that originally proposed that the continents had once formed a single supercontinent.

a surface feature in the seafloor produced by the descending plate during subduction.

a chain of volcanic islands generally located a few hundred kilometers from a trench where subduction is occurring

a continuous elevated zone on the floor of all the major ocean basins. Rifts represent divergent plate boundaries

a region where the rigid plates are moving apart, typified by the oceanic ridges. ( Divide)

deep faulted structure found along the axes of divergent plate boundaries: ---- can develop on the seafloor or on land.

one of numerous rigid sections of the lithosphere that moves as a unit over the material of the asthenosphere.

mountains formed in part by volcanic activity caused by subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath a continent.

a boundary in which two plates slide past each other without creating or destroying lithosphere.

the process by which plate tectonics produces new oceanic lithosphere at ocean ridges.

a destructive plate margin where oceanic crust is being pushed down into the mantle beneath a second plate.

the theory that proposes that Earths outer shell consists of individual plates that interact and produce earthquakes