Science Vocabulary 3 Week 1

compression Stress that squeezes a rock until it folds or breaks.

convergent boundary   This is where two plates are moving towards each other and where crust is destroyed when one plate is pushed beneath the other plate.

deformation the change in the shape of a rock due to stress

Constructive(divergent) boundary This is where two plates are moving away from each other. New crust is formed here.

fault the place where underground plates meet

folding the bending of rock layers due to stress in the Earth's crust.

subsidence When the surface of the ground sinks.

tension the act of straining or stretching

transform boundary This is where two plates are sliding past each other. Crust is neither produced nor destroyed.

uplift A rise of land to a higher elevation (as in the process of mountain building).

crustal plates form the outer layer of the Earth. There are seven major plates and many smaller plates.

ocean basins  are those areas found under the sea. They can be relatively inactive areas where deposits of sediment slowly collect or active areas where tectonic plates meet.

earthquakes a sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action.

volcano a mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust.

Seismologists A person who scientifically studies earthquakes and of the internal structure of the Earth. It includes the study of the origin, geographic distribution, effects, and possible prediction of earthquakes.

surface waves  travels across the surface of the Earth as opposed to through it.

secondary waves (S waves) is a wave motion in a solid medium where the medium moves perpendicular to the direction of the travel of the wave. Second fastest traveling seismic waves (after primary waves) and can travel through solids but not through liquids or gases.

primary waves (P waves) are alternatingly compressional and extensional, and cause the rocks they pass through to change in volume. These waves are the fastest traveling seismic waves and can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.