Flashcard: Understanding Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Dynamics — 14 carte

Lithosphere — definition?

Earth's rigid outer shell, crust + upper mantle.

Asthenosphere — role?

Allows lithospheric plates to move via ductile flow.

Rheological boundary — location?

Transition zone where deformation behavior changes.

Temperature control — lithosphere base?

Determines brittle-ductile transition depth.

Lithospheric deformation — behavior?

Mostly localized at plate boundaries, rigid interior.

Rigid plate concept — meaning?

Earth's plates move as rigid, coherent units.

Plate tectonics — explanation?

Movement of rigid lithospheric plates shaping Earth.

Plate boundary — deformation?

Localized strain, seismic activity, faulting.

Frictional deformation — mechanism?

Fault slip governed by friction proportional to normal stress.

Viscous deformation — process?

Distributed, ductile flow driven by shear stress.

Fault slip — causes?

Overcoming shear stress exceeding frictional resistance.

Shear stress — effect?

Promotes fault sliding when high enough.

Normal stress — influence?

Resists fault slip, proportional to frictional force.

Distributed shearing flow — describes?

Broad, ductile deformation via viscous flow.