Earthquakes
Paleomagnetism
The branch of Geophysics conecerned with the magnetism in rocks that was induced by the Earth's magnetic field at the time of their formation
Fossil
the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.
Convergent Plate Boundary
an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide.
Foreshock
a mild tremor preceding the violent shaking movement of an earthquake.
Subduction
the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth's crust into the mantle beneath another plate.
Fissure
a fracture or crack in rock along which there is a distinct separation; fissures are often filled with mineral-bearing materials
Continental Drift Theory
the hypothesis that the Earth's continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have "drifted" across the ocean bed.
Epicenter
the point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake.
Theory of Plate Tectonics
the Earth's solid outer crust, the lithosphere, is separated into plates that move over the asthenosphere, the molten upper portion of the mantle.
Divergent Plate Boundary
a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
Pangea
was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras
Transform-fault boundary
a fault along a plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal