Tectonic plate movement pdf

Stretching of the crust produces movement on faults most earthquakes occur on faults that form the boundaries of earths tectonic plates. Scientists now have a fairly good understanding of how the plates move and how such movements relate to earthquake activity. Tectonic plates or huge slabs of solid rocks separate, collide, and slide past each other causing earthquakes, feeding volcanic eruptions, and raising mountains. The theory of plate tectonics grew out of earlier hypotheses and observations collected during exploration of the rocks of the ocean floor.

They should occur primarily in deep ocean basins b. Ocean basinsoceanic crust are continually being created and destroyed through tectonic processes. The northward movement of the indian tectonic plate pushing slowly against the asiatic plate is evident by the frequent earthquakes in the region. They move atop the underlying mantle, a really thick layer of hot flowing rock. You will recall from a previous chapter that there are three. Learn about the layers of the earths crust and plate boundaries. Detailed map showing the tectonic plates with their movement. Over the course of a hundred million years that equates to hundreds to thousands of kilometers of movement. Plate tectonics it was from the continental drift theory, convection current theory and the theory of seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics was formulated. Label the bottom tab transform and draw the plate movements here lift the tab. Plate movement that produces stress in rock, which leads to a change in the rocks shape or. Theory explaining these movements of plates is known as. The structure of the earth, plate tectonics and landforms.

At divergent boundaries in the oceans, magma from deep in the earths mantle rises toward the surface and pushes apart two or more plates. In the framework of plate tectonics, the surface is represented by rigid plates separated. Tectonic plates california institute of technology. Worksheets plate boundary researchersgraphic organizer, and plate movement, one per student. Earths surface layer, 50 to 100 km 30 to 60 miles thick, is rigid and is composed of a set of large and small plates. Continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics. Plate tectonics the tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century.

These land masses move around the way bath toys move around in the bathtub. Our earth is made of large pieces land masses called plates. Dec 17, 2019 the northward movement of the indian tectonic plate pushing slowly against the asiatic plate is evident by the frequent earthquakes in the region. Plate tectonics is the unifying theory of geology and revolutionized geology. Guess the location of the midatlantic ridge then check your answer with the teacher. Plate convergence vectors referenced from united states geological survey. Plates move apart at divergent plate boundaries such as the oceanic.

That conveyer belt drives the movement of the plates. If youre seeing this message, it means were having trouble loading external resources on our website. This section provides access to a wide array of visualizations and supporting material that can be used effectively to teach students about plate tectonic movements. Nov, 2012 our earth is made of large pieces land masses called plates. They should occur primarily along plate boundaries d. Lightly shade in each tectonic lithospheric plate with a different color if possible. The sudden movement creates seismic waves of 3 kinds.

Plates move only if theyre pushed or pulled, not dragged. A plat e tectonic puzzle introduction the earths crust is not a solid shell. At plate boundaries, plates collide, move apart, move under or over each other, or slide past one another. Theory of plate tectonics explains why the plates of the earth are moving. Crust mantle core crust lithosphere plate movement the crust is broken into plates that move. The earth is composed of layers of different composition and physical properties, principally the solid central core, the fluid peripheral core, the viscous mantle, and the solid. Plate tectonics, the study of such relative motions. A transform plate boundary occurs when two plates slide past each other. By using gps, we know they move only about 510 cm every year. Again the root cause for the movement of the tectonic plates depends upon the convection current. Minor tectonic plates by size somali plate 16,700,000 sq km.

As they move, plates interact at their edges or boundaries. The types of plate tectonic boundares are divergent, convergent and transform conservative. Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of earth structures or tectonic features. In essence, platetectonic theory is elegantly simple. Tetrahedron map by ngsdc paste scissors crayons background. When all rectangles are cut out, stack them in order 120. A place where two plates slip past each other, moving in opposite directions is a transform boundary. This video walks through the gram cracker plate tectonics lab. Crust is continuously being regenerated and removed. During the movement of the indian plate towards the asiatic plate, a major event that occurred was the outpouring of lava and formation of the deccan traps shield volcano. Surface observations and seismic waves showed that the earths interior was solid. According to the theory of plate tectonics, the earths lithosphere is broken into distinct plates which are.

From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia plate tectonics from greek, tekton. It is made up of thick, interconnecting pieces called tectonic plates that fit together like a puzzle. There are only 7 rectangle boxes to cut, so it doesnt make a big book. Plate tectonics describes the distribution and motion of the plates. Plate tectonics is the surface manifestation of mantle convection, but the large contrast in viscosities between the lithosphere and the deeper mantle leads to departures from a simple boiling pot.

Types of plate boundaries map identification directions a 1. The south american plate is the smallest plate tectonic, right after the indoaustralian plate it interacts with nazca plate on the west side of the continent generating some of the most powerful earthquakes in history, such as the valdivia earthquake. Because earths tectonic plate boundaries often consist of continent and ocean crust, the eurasian plate contains parts of the atlantic and arctic ocean. The earths plates move in different directions depending on the type of boundary. Lesson 1 the earth is cracking up lesson at a glance. Finding identical or similar fossils in areas separated by vast distances were some of the first clues that scientists used to reconstruct past plate movement. On the underside of the tab, write plates sliding past each other.

Pdf plate tectonics, our major paradigm for how the earth works, was established in the 1960ies following decades of observational research. At convergent plate boundaries, oceanic crust is often forced down into the mantle where it begins to melt. Plate tectonics has proven to be so useful that it can predict geologic events and explain almost all aspects of what we see on the earth. Use the table below to draw arrows indicating the direction of plate movement at each boundary. They should only occur along continental margins c. Beneath the crust is a hot ductile layer of the upper mantle called the. The epicentre is the point on the earths surface directly above the hypocentre. The impact of the colliding plates can cause the edges of one or both plates to buckle up into a mountain ranges or one of the plates may bend down into a deep seafloor trench. How would solid material accomodate movement in this solid body. Since the development of the theory, geologists have had to reexamine almost every aspect of. Earthquakes and volcanoes help locating plate boundaries.

These slabs are called tectonic plates and fit together like pieces to a puzzle. Draw a birdseye view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. The plate tectonics chapter of this course is designed to help you plan and teach the causes and effects of plate movement in your classroom. We live on a layer of earth known as the lithosphere which is a collection of rigid slabs that are shifting and sliding into each other. Plate movement is driven by convection in earths mantle. If we combine all the plate movement vectors deduced from struc tural data for the last 50 my, we obtain a flow which describes a sort of tectonic equator. The somali plate is a minor tectonic plate encompassing the african country of somalia. Takehome messages earths geology is dominated by the processes of plate tectonics. This collection is not exhaustive but does represent some of the best sources for. In 1967, mckenzie and parker suggested the theory of plate tectonics.

These plate movements are caused by convection currents in the mantle. Plates are composed of the crust and a part of the upper mantle, these two parts together are called the lithosphere. Plate tectonics information and facts national geographic. The global mosaic of plates periodically reorganizes itself and new plate boundaries form while others close up. You will recall from a previous chapter that there are three major layers crust, mantle, core within the earth that are.

Visualizations include simple animations, gisbased animated maps, paleogeographic maps and globes, as well as numerous illustrations and photos. Have students cut out each frame carefully along the outside frame lines. The nature and the severity of the earth quake will be decided by the movement of the tectonic plate. There are three principal types of plate boundary divergent, convergent, and transform. Plates move relative to one another and relative to a fixed reference frame, such as the rotational axis of the earth.

Lithosphere is divided into plates that slide around on top of the slowly moving mesosphere tectonic plates it occurred after the breakup of pangaea, and since then the continents. Graham cracker plate tectonics this quick and tasty kids science activity gives little scientists a hands on way to explore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the formation of volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches. Plate tectonics the earths crust is divided into plates which are moved in various directions. The video lessons, quizzes and transcripts can easily. You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names. Jan 19, 2018 the eurasian plate is a plate tectonic boundary consisting most of europe, russia and china. Divergent occurs when two tectonic plates move away from the other. Together, these plates constitute the lithosphere, from the greek lithos, meaning rock.

Divergent boundaries where new crust is generated as the plates pull away or separates from each other. Earths crust and upper mantle are divided into plates. Even though their movements are very slow, we can track them with extremely precise gps measurements. Its the third largest, being slightly smaller than the pacific plate and north american plate. Plate tectonics and the cycling of earth materials plate tectonics drives the rock cycle. Dec 12, 20 a quick overview of plate tectonics, including a look at the different types of plate boundaries. Dec 17, 2019 plate tectonics it was from the continental drift theory, convection current theory and the theory of seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics was formulated. What are the 2 types of crust found on earths surface. Over millions of years, though, those centimeters add up. Other life dispersed to new areas as continents reconnected, oceans narrowed, or chains of volcanic islands formed. Currently, the somali plate is moving away from continental africa at a very small pace which equates to around 20 millimeters per annum. One possibility would be to assume that one plate is stationary and to determine plate movement relative to that fixed. The earths crust is constantly shifting, albeit very slowly, from millimeters to centimeters per year.

Movement of convection currents causes tectonic plates to move several centimeters per year relative to each other. What does plate tectonic theory predict about the distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes. Plate boundary movements and their results foldable. Generally, the depth of an earthquake is related to the type of tectonic boundary in which it occurs. Plate tectonics summary the earth is made up of 3 main layers core, mantle, crust on the surface of the earth are tectonic plates that slowly move around the globe plates are made of crust and upper mantle lithosphere there are 2 types of plate there are 3 types of plate boundaries volcanoes and earthquakes are closely. The key principle of plate tectonics is that the lithosphere exists as separate and distinct tectonic plates, which ride on the. Most movement occurs along narrow zones between plates, plate boundaries, where the results of plate tectonic forces are most evident. A plate tectonic puzzle introduction the earths crust is not a solid shell. Most geophysicists opposed the hypothesis of plate tectonics in the early 1900s, even as late as the 1960s. Most movement occurs along narrow zones between plates, plate. We now know that, directly or indirectly, plate tectonics influences nearly all geologic processes, past and present. This plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape. This plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape against each other.

Size and position of these plates change over time. Lithosphere is divided into plates that slide around on top of the slowly moving mesosphere tectonic plates it occurred after. Types of plate boundaries map identification activity. Plate tectonics this plate tectonics lesson plan involves a classroom activity to help students understand the processes that move and shape earths surface.

Frame 1 should be on top although the frames could also be ordered so that f20 is on the top, but it is useful. Between utah s wasatch range and californias sierra nevada. The three types of plate movement are divergent, convergent and transform plate boundaries. The collision between two pieces of continental crust at a convergent boundary produces a mountain range. Where tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other, the boundary between the plates is known as a transform plate boundary. Earths crust consists of plates that move or float on the mantle. Indeed, the notion that the entire earths surface is continually shifting has profoundly changed the way we view our world. A major geological system is the tectonic system that involves the movement of lithospheric plates. Explain how tectonic plate movement could create another supercontinent like pangaea. Demonstrating the movement of the earths crust and how tectonic plates interact at plate boundaries the theory of plate tectonics the crust is the outer layer of the earth. Have students color and cut out the provided picture boxes and create a flip book type project that shows plate movement over millions of years.

If youre behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains. This lesson plan is useful for elementary, secondary, middle school, and university students. The earths crust is divided into plates which are moved in various directions. Movement is caused by convection currents in the mantle.

As a consequence, plate tectonics has a very direct and fundamental influence on global climate. P fast s slow l surface the hypocentre of an earthquake or focus is the point where the pressure is released. Continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics plate tectonics is a theory developed in the late 1960s, to explain how the outer layers of the earth move and deform. A chain of volcanoes often forms parallel to convergent plate boundaries and powerful earthquakes are common along these boundaries. Convergence data are shown by arrows describing direction and speed, relative to the plate across the boundary. Tectonic plates are the plates beneath us in the mantle that are constantly moving. Magma rises into and through the other plate, solidifying into granite, the rock that makes up the.

Plates are composed of the crust and a part of the upper mantle, these two parts together. A level geography revision guide revised tested exam. Tectonic plates plate boundary referenced from bird, peter 2003 an updated digital model of plate boundaries. Hence, over geological timescales the movement of plates and continents has a profound effect on the distribution of land masses, mountain ranges and the connectivity of the oceans. Bring the bottom of your paper up so that it almost meets the top of your page about 1 to 2 cm away from the top. The main idea theory was proposed by alfred wegener in 1912.

If the earths core provides the heat that drives plate tectonics, then what will eventually happen. Utah is not on a plate boundary, but many faults in the state can produce large earthquakes. Closely spaced earthquakes with a range of depths that deepen i. Voyage through time a plate tectonics page 3 of 16 boundary. In essence, plate tectonic theory is elegantly simple.

The theory of plate tectonics describes how the plates move, interact, and change the physical landscape. The plates move seemingly independently, which indicates that the system is dynamic, i. The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries. The layer below the lithosphere is the asthenosphere. What are the different types of plate tectonic boundaries. Notes on plate tectonics plate tectonics states that the earths crust and upper mantle are broken into sections, called plates.