Earth Science Vocabulary

Movements of magma in the mantle created when the core heats magma which causes it to be less dense and rise. These cause the plates to move Convection Currents

A source of heat for the Earth that came from the layers of the Earth forming and friction building up as heavier elements went to the core. Gravitational Energy

Layer of the Earth that makes up tectonic plates, it includes the crust and upper mantle. Lithosphere

The split in between the plates at a divergent boundary, on land it looks like rips in the crust. Rift valley

A source of heat for the Earth that came when the Earth was formed and the pieces that made the Earth crashed together. Particle Impact

A deep hole in the ocean floor created when oceanic crust subducts at a convergent boundary. Trench

The layer of the Earth that the tectonic plates float on, it is a moveable solid. Asthenosphere

A source of heat for the Earth that comes from unstable atoms breaking apart and releasing thermal energy. Radioactive Decay

A mountain created at a convergent boundary where continental crust crumbles together and piles up. Fold Mountain

A place where new sea floor is being made, it is a chain of underwater mountains. Mid Ocean Ridge

Process of creating new sea floor at Mid Ocean Ridges Sea Floor Spreading

Process of destroying sea floor at a Trench. Subduction