All terms in this list:

crust: The thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle.

mantle: The layer of rock between the Earth's crust and core.

core: The central part of the Earth below the mantle.

lithosphere: The solid, outer layer of the Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.

asthenosphere: The soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move.

mesosphere: The strong lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core.

tectonic plate: A block of lithoshpere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle.

plate tectonics: The theory that explains how large pieces of the earth's outermost layer, called tectonic plates, move and change shape.

convergent boundary: The boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates.

divergent boundary: The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.

transform boundary: The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally.

continental drift: The hypothesis that states the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations.

seafloor spreading: The process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies

compression: Stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an object.

tension: Stress that occurs when forces act to stretch an object.

folding: The bending of rock layers due to stress.

fault: A break in a body of rock along which one block slides relative to another.

uplift: The rising of regions of the Earth's crust to lower elevations.

subsidence: The sinking of regions of the Earth's crust to lower elevations.