SCIENCE FINALS

• Active volcano


  Volcanoes that have had at least one eruption during the past 10 000 years
• Asthenosphere


  The upper layer of the mantle just below the lithosphere
• Epicenter


  The point on Earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake
• Faults


  A break in the rocks that make up the crust that moved past each other
• Focus


  The location where the earthquake begins
• Lithosphere


  The rigid part of Earth consisting of the crust and the upper mantle
• Mountain belts


  A group of mountain ranges with similar form, structure, and alignment
• Orogen


  A belt in Earth's crust involved in the formation of mountains
• Pacific Ring of Fire


  A horseshoe shape zone the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur
• Plate tectonic theory


  A theory that describes the large-scale motion of seven large plates movements of small plates of the lithosphere
• Volcanic arc


  The chain of volcanoes above a subducting plate, positioned in an arc shape as seen from above
• Arcs


  Long, sublinear chains of volcanoes following the orientation of ocean trenches
• Continental rift


  Theory that explains how continents shift position on Earth's surface
• Convergent boundary


  Region where tectonic plates collide with each other
• Divergent boundary


  Region where tectonic plates are moving away from each other
• Fracture zone


  Linear oceanic feature resulted from the action of offset mid-ocean ridge axis segments
• Mid-ocean ridge


  Underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonics
• Seafloor spreading


  Formation of new oceanic crust through upwelling of magma
• Subduction


  Process that takes place at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates where one plate moves under another and is forced or sinks into the mantle due to gravity
• Transform boundary


  Region where tectonic plates slide past each other
• Asthenosphere


  Lies below the lithosphere, rocks have plasticity and ability to flow
• Continental crust


  • Composed of many rock types, mostly of granodiorite, a light-colored igneous rock
• Continental margin


  Separates continental crust from oceanic crust
• Core


  Innermost layer, subdivided into outer and inner core
• Crust


  Outermost and thinnest layer of Earth
• Gutenberg discontinuity


  Boundary between the mantle and the core
• Lithosphere


  Comprised of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle
• Mantle


  Largest layer of Earth, subdivided into lithosphere, asthenosphere, and mesosphere
• Mantle convection


  Transfer of heat from the mantle to the crust through the movement of mantle materials
• Mars


  Also called the red planet
• Mercury


  Smallest terrestrial planet
• Mesosphere


  Also called the lower mantle
• Mohorovičić discontinuity


  Boundary between the crust and the mantle
• Mountain belts


  Elevated region composed of uplifted and deformed rocks
• Ocean ridges


  Composed of newly formed oceanic crust which has been uplifted and faulted
• Oceanic crust


  Composed mostly of dark-colored mafic rocks
• Venus


  Second planet from the sun
• Aseismic crustal movements


  Movements having less intensity than those related to tectonic belts
• Hot spots


  Areas with an abnormally high volcanic activity that have remained stationary for a very long time
• Kinematics


  Geologic structures are examined and compared to the movements of blocks of Earth's surface, ignoring underlying forces