Stewart 2 cartography and graphic design by will r. The theory of plate tectonics states that the earths outermost layer is fragmented into a dozen or more large and small plates that are. An example of merged plates is iberian subplate that is presently considered eurasian plate. World map of volcanoes, earthquakes, impact craters, and plate tectonics. From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia plate tectonics from greek, tekton builder or mason describes the large scale motions of earths lithosphere. Gplates enables interactive visualisation and manipulation of the plate tectonic reconstructions of geological and paleogeographic features through geological time. Problems with plate tectonics speculations science forums. The theory of plate tectonics states that the earths outermost layer is fragmented into a dozen or more large and small plates that are moving. Plate tectonics in geology is a scientific theory which explains many features of our planet, as the existence of continents and oceans and their movements though geologic time. The word tectonics comes from the greek root to build. Continental collision as indian plate with eurasia one finish in a merge, but the process is slow.
The fundamental units of plate tectonics are large pieces of earths lithosphere, the outermost rocky layer of the planet that is composed of the earths crust and the upper 50 to 80 miles of the. Pdf geological archive of the onset of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics study guide by katielajti includes 53 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. Geological understanding of plate tectonics 25 that plate tectonics cools the mantle whereas mantle plumes cool the earths core. The plates make up earths outer shell, called the lithosphere. Geological survey 2 department of geosciences, pennsylvania state university, state college, pa 16802 usa 3 institute of earth sciences, csic, barcelona, spain. Latest earthquakes more info realtime earthquake maps of the conterminous u. Scientists have figured out how the earth looked a billion. Pdf geological evidence for a global tectonic polarity.
Some evidence suggests that gravity pulls the sinking plate down. Since it broke away from antarctica and drifted northwards, australias climate has changed from very cold, to. Plate tectonics this is the plate tectonics differentiation stations. Propelled by intense heat simmering beneath the crust or the propelled by intense heat simmering beneath the crust or the mantle, earths surface is dramatically reshaping itself in an endless, slow motion movement called plate tectonics. Plate tectonics creates continents through the accretion of buoyant granitic crust. Plate motion based on the global positioning system gps 8. A good way to have a variety of lessonrelated activities in groups. Jun 08, 2012 plate tectonics represents the dominant presumption among geophysicists for earths current configuration. This term was first used in the early 20th century when alfred wegener noticed that the earths continents seemed to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Geological belts, plate boundaries and mineral deposits in myanmar arms readers with a comprehensive overview of the geography, geology, mineral potential and tectonic plate activity of myanmar. Most geophysicists opposed the hypothesis of plate tectonics in the early 1900s, even as late as the 1960s. Plate tectonics stations activity for high school earth science. I do not believe we have arrived at a geophysical mechanism for the flood, yet. It also provides an explanation for mountain ranges, deepsea trenches and midocean ridges.
Notes plate tectonics continental drift alfred wegener came up with the theory of continental drift idea that all of the continents were once joined together in a single landmass called pangaea and have since moved to their current positions. Geological belts, plate boundaries, and mineral deposits. But the ocean ridge system is allegedly producing new crust along a total length of 2 x 74,000 km, whereas there are about 43,500 km of trenches and 9000 km of collision zones or a third of the amount of spreading centres. This model requires many assumptions and produces many paradoxes. Putting these two words together, we get the term plate tectonics, which refers to how the earths surface is built of plates. Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of earth structures or tectonic features.
In geologic terms, a plate is a large, rigid slab of solid rock. In this video paul andersen explains how plate tectonics explains the largescale system interactions on our planet. Gplates is an interactive plate tectonics visualisation program. Using the theory of plate tectonics, scientists have traced the movement of the continents through geological history. Large plates float on the mantle and interact to form the major landforms on the planet. The plate tectonics theory and mantle plume concept thus complement each other to ex. Most of the african continent is on the african plate. The structure of the earth, plate tectonics and landforms. The theory of plate tectonics grew out of earlier hypotheses and observations collected during exploration of the rocks of the ocean floor. Plate tectonics is an outstanding example of a self organizing, far from equilibrium complex system soffecs, driven by the negative buoyancy of the thermal boundary layer and controlled by. New oceanic crust is formed through magma rising through the gap and cooling. The theory of plate tectonics geology lumen learning. Matching rocks rocks found on south america and africa match up. Since the development of the theory, geologists have had to reexamine almost every aspect of.
Students will examine one method for creating a twodimensional map of a spherical surface. Seeps into cracks and expands when it freezes, breaking rock apart. Overview the standard model of mantle dynamics and chemistry involves a complex interaction between plates and plumes, and the upper and lower mantles. The african plate is the fourth largest tectonic plate with an estimated area of 61,300,000 square kilometers.
Plate tectonics information and facts national geographic. The problems and complexities can be traced to a series of. Lithosphere with new oceanic crust is formed at mor, then spreads laterally as if on conveyor belt. Plate tectonics assessments and reassessments memoir 23. He later developed the theory of continental drift to explain the shapes and positions of continents and coined the title pangea at a. Plate pacific fiji plate plate e a s t p a c i f i r i d g e antarctic plate arabian plate eurasian plate eurasian plate iceland hot spot e a s t a f r i c a n r i f t mi di n d i n r i d g e s o ut h e a st i n di n ridge southwest indian ridge scotia plate sandwich plate m i da t l a nt i c r i g e easter island hot spot st. Plate tectonics plate tectonics is the unifying theory of geology and revolutionized geology cornerstone of earthsystem approach. Apr 01, 2002 the most serious seems to be assuming plate tectonics has been proven and too much uniformitarianism.
The african plate also includes substantial parts of the indian and atlantic oceans. The shapes of the continents, as well as earthquakes and volcanoes, are said to be due to the movement of crustal blocks that move apart from one another in some places, while sliding under subducting each other in other places. That january, sitting in his office at princeton university, morgan read a new article in science by the geologist h. The deeper quakes green and blue occur where one plate dives beneath another subduction zones. Geological evidence for a global tectonic polarity article pdf available in journal of the geological society 1505. Continental drift and plate tectonics university of iceland. The story of plate tectonics goes back to 1912, when a german atmospheric physicist, alfred wegener, looked at a map and noticed that the opposing coastlines of africa and south america seemed. This is physically similar to slowly pushing a piece of paper off a table. Call tollfree 1888ask usgs or write to usgs information services box 25286, building 810 denver federal center denver, co 80225 3032024700. Global plate tectonics the plate tectonics postulate unifies the earlier hypotheses of continental drift, seafloor spread and mountain building into a single theme, and ascribes the evolution of earths surface morphology to relative angular motions of rigid lithospheric plates, litho. Plate tectonics, the study of such relative motions and their consequences, allows relating surface, geological and geophysical structures with quantified movements attributed to deep processes of the earths heat engine. The usgs uses groundbased observatories to provide continuous records of the earths magnetic field variations.
Next generation science standards earth science disciplinary core idea 2b. Visible georeferenced tiles of the etopo1 1 arcminute global relief model raster amante and eakins, 2009 highlighted with solid colours. Plate tectonics the tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. Aug 09, 2012 a paper by peter cawood and two other ozbased scientists called precambrian plate tectonics. The online edition contains all text from the original book in its. Evidence for plate tectonics teaching box collection of interrelated learn concepts that focuses on finding the evidence for plate tectonics using digital resources, education standards, and comprehensive lesson plans.
In other words, cooling of the mantle leads to plate tectonics while cooling of the core is responsible for mantle plumes. The aim of this article is to briefly introduce the concept of plate tectonics and also to highlight the role that wegener played to advance it. Learn how the theory of plate tectonics has developed, what happens at different plate margins, and the tectonic history of the uk. Plates are composed of the crust and a part of the upper mantle, these two parts together are called the lithosphere.
Erosion of the granites yields specific minerals including quartz, radioactive uranium, thoriumbearing phases and phosphates, which could play a role in early evolution. Force application glitches out of hiding with our systems management bundle, and discover the issues lurking behind. He published his observations in a geological comparison of south america with south africa1927, and later he developed his ideas in our wandering continents1937. The left and right sides show two different zoom levels. Plate tectonics is the horizontal motion of earths thermal boundary layer lithosphere over the convecting mantle asthenosphere and is mostly driven by lithosphere sinking in subduction zones.
Continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics. Cannon et al plate tectonic raster reconstruction in gplates 743 figure 1. Plate tectonics is the fundamental representation of motion and deformation of earths surface over at least the last several geological time periods wessel and muller, 2015 and we rely on. Jun 11, 2009 the volume of crust generated at ocean ridges is supposed to be equalled by the volume subducted. Third edition published 2006 by tom simkin, 1 robert i. Continental drift 1912 alfred wegener meteorologist theory. Worksheets and extension materials for the geological societys plate tectonics module. Presently indian plate is a separated system because it has still a big granite root under the mountains. Lithosphere the earths crustcrust plus the upper portion of the mantlemantle layer 7. Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions. Plate tectonics describes the distribution and motion of the plates.
I copied the maps onto transparencies and created a lab where students ultimately overlaid the transparencies to compare and contrast the locations of earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate boundaries. Earth is the only known planet with subduction zones and plate tectonics, and this fact demonstrates that special conditions are required for this mode of planetary heat loss. The layer below the lithosphere is the asthenosphere. Students will create a model of the earth that they can hold and examine. The book focuses on the nature and history of the structural belts and terranes of myanmar, with particular emphasis on the mineral deposits and their relationship to. In 1967, jason morgan discovered the theory of plate tectonics the idea that rigid plates pave the earths surface, moving relative to one another with the continents and oceans in tow. Seafloor spreading helps explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. The geological theory of plate tectonics and the associated mineralization process relating to the formation of ore deposits is a hugely complicated process with the myriad contributing variables such as rock and fluid compositions, temperature, pressure ph, eh, structure and time, all interacting to provide a host of different outcomes. First they contrast plate tectonics and plume tectonics as two different ways of transferring heat out of the earth. 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. General article alfred wegener from continental drift to. Students will examine plate boundaries, continents, and oceans on a globe.
Geological evidence for a simple horizontal compression of the crust in the zagros crush zone. The name pangea comes from an ancient greek word meaning all lands. Wegener supported his argument with five lines of evidence. Detailed ocean floor bathymetry and discussions of fundamental components are also featured. The lithosphere includes both the crust and the solid part of the a. When the concept of seafloor spreading came along, scientists recognized that it was the mechanism to explain how continents could move around earths surface. The theory encompasses the older concepts of continental drift, developed.
How and why do continents breakup and new ocean basins form. You answered they indicate where crust is moving together and diving down deeper into the mantle. Plate tectonics is a continuous process, so the continents are still moving today. It is also possible, though less common, for geological activity to take place in the middle of plates. Three of the forces that have been proposed as the main drivers of tectonic plate movement are. The hawaiian islands are actually tops of volcanoes in the pacific ocean.
Subduction processes during plate convergence result in the formation of volcanoes. Each plate is in motion relative to its neighbours, resulting in geological activity at the plate boundaries. Pdf plate tectonic and stressfield modelling of the. Plate tectonics the earths crust is divided into plates which are moved in various directions. Serious issues with plate tectonics the thunderbolts project. The wearing down of rocks at the earths surface by the actions of wind, water, ice and living things b. Based on morpho, plate tectonic and stressfield modelling fig 1, 3, 4 we have subdivided the naos into five blocks from west to east fig 1,3,5,6. Earthquakes and volcanoes modified from usgs graphics and lillie, 2005, parks and plates most volcanoes and earthquakes occur along plate boundaries.
Science classroom plate tectonics 27 ideas for 2019 browse over educational resources created by the stem center in the official teachers pay teachers store. Seismicity of the earth 19002010 caribbean plate and vicinity compiled by harley m. As plates move, the new crust gradually moves away from the ridge. The plate is slowly splitting at the east african rift valley which runs from the red sea to kenya. Plate tectonics is the study of the lithosphere, the outer portion of the earth consisting of the crust and part of the upper mantle. Like the scientists before us, we will now merge the ideas of continental drift and seafloor spreading into the theory of plate tectonics. You will recall from a previous chapter that there are three. Continental plate continental plate convergence when two continents collide, neither one will subduct into the mantle. There he argued for the separation of wegeners pangea into the two super continents, laurasia and gondwana. Lithospheric plate with oceanic crust is dragged down at trenches. The theory has caused a revolution in the way we think about the earth. The lithosphere is divided into about a dozen large plates which move and interact with. In view of the intended range and modest scope of the article, we have kept the complex and the intricate subject details to bare minimum. Online world map with booklet pdf format giving an account of plate tectonics, volcanology, earthquake activity, and impact craters.
The yellow wireframe is the orthographicrectangular prism. Feb 21, 2008 the lithosphere is divided into a number of large and small plates and the plates are floating on the mantle plate tectonics theoryplate tectonics theory 6. Plate tectonics is the theory used to explain the structure of the earths crust and many of the associated phenomenon. The story of plate tectonics excellent comprehensive overview of plate tectonics with excellent graphics, online usgs general interest publication usgs understanding earthquakes brief history of seismology to 1910, earthquake and plate tectonic quizzes, earthquake accounts by famous people, elastic rebound. Regents questions here are regents questions for plate tectonics.
An online resource from the geological society, aimed at students aged 14 16. Geological timeline in this pack you will find information and activities to help your class grasp the concept of geological time, just how old our planet is, and just how young we, as a species, are. Students will examine plate boundaries, continents, and oceans on a. There are a number of competing theories that attempt to explain what drives the movement of tectonic plates. Map of the pacific plate boundaries and relative motion, from this dynamic planet. We all know this is very old indeed, but big numbers like this are always difficult to get your head around. Here are a few nice usgs maps that might be useful. Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries which subsequently create midocean ridges. The real data used to support plate tectonics, such as wadatibenioff zones, can support alternative models. Notes on plate tectonics plate tectonics states that the earths crust and upper mantle are broken into sections, called plates. Plate tectonics are fully illustrated on this bestselling world map a companion to this dynamic earth. This plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape against each other. One of the most important contributions to the development of plate tectonic theory was alfred wegeners 1915 publication of the origin of continents and oceans which outlined his theory of continental drift.
1253 431 692 212 1482 1000 32 1252 1281 982 470 985 1385 1227 1514 1276 204 1439 138 222 826 600 929 415 384 1464 1477 354 366 36 695 1322 1277 1094 1288 235 304 412 1240 1032 1155 1440 485 1221 756 312 1100 1 107 680