Plate Tectonics Web-Quest
Part I: Earth’http://education.weebly.com/weebly/main.phps Structure. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/structure.html
1. Label the layers of Earth in the diagram below. Since the picture is gone, the layers of the Earth, from the closest to the furthest are crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
2. The lithosphere is made up of the crust and a tiny bit of the upper mantle .
3. The plates of the lithosphere move (or float) on this hot, malleable semi-liquid
zone in the upper mantle, directly underneath the lithosphere. This is known as the
asthenosphere.
4. The layer of Earth that is the only liquid layer is the outer core.
Part II. Plate Tectonics. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/drift.html
1. True or False? Image A depicts what Earth looks like today. (circle the correct answer) False, from the website, "B" is what the Earth looks like today.
2. What did Earth look like 250 million years ago? The continents of Earth were clustered together in formation that a scientist named Pangaea. The scientist that named “Pangaea” was a German scientist by the name of Alfred Wegener. He theorized that “Pangaea" split apart and the different landmasses, or continents, drifted to their current locations on the globe. Wegener’s theories of plate movement became the basis for the development of the theory of plate tectonics.
3. Order the images of Earth’s plates in order from oldest or earliest (1) to most recent (5).
From 200 million years ago, the continents were all together
135 million years ago, the continents were starting to slowly drift apart
65 million years ago, the continents were spreading even more
50-40 million years ago, the continents are in their current state
Part III. Plates and Boundaries. Use the following link to find these answers: http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/plate.html
1. Name the missing tectonic plates in the blanks on the image below.
Tectonics Plates:
Pacific Plate
Nazca Plate
Cocos Plate
Caribbean Plate
Juan de Fuca Plate
North American Plate
Scotia Plate
South American Plate
African Plate
Antarctic Plate
Arabian Plate
Eurasian Plate
Indian Plate
Australian Plate
Philippine Plate
2. The place where the two plates meet is called a boundary. Boundaries have different names depending on how the two plates are moving in relationship to each other.
A. If two plates are pushing towards each other it is called a convergent.
B. If two plates are moving apart from each other it is called a divergent.
C. If two plates are sliding past each other it is a called a transformation.
3. Label the type of boundary depicted in each image below.
4. Plates and Boundaries Challenge. Follow directions for the challenge. Record your results below:
Part I. Number of correctly placed plates = eight
Part II. Number of boundary types correctly labeled = five
Part IV. Slip, Slide, and Collide. Use the following link to find these answers: http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/slip.html
1. At convergent boundaries, tectonic plates collide with each other. The events that occur at these boundaries are linked to the types of plates (oceanic or continental) that are interacting.
Subduction Zones and Volcanoes
At some convergent boundaries, an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate. Oceanic crust tends to be denser and thinner than continental crust, so the denser oceanic crust gets bent and pulled under, or subducted, beneath the lighter and thicker continental crust. This forms what is called a subduction zone. As the oceanic crust sinks, a deep oceanic trench, or valley, is formed at the edge of the continent. The crust continues to be forced deeper into the earth, where high heat and pressure cause trapped water and other gasses to be released from it. This, in turn, makes the base of the crust melt, forming magma. The magma formed at a subduction zone rises up toward the earth's surface and builds up in magma chambers, where it feeds and creates volcanoes on the overriding plate. When this magma finds its way to the surface through a vent in the crust, the volcano erupts, expelling lava and ash . An example of this is the band of active volcanoes that encircle the Pacific Ocean, often referred to as the Ring of Fire.
Roll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words below:
Subduction Zone – area where one plate is being pulled under the edge of another
Magma - molten rock, gases, and solid crystals and minerals
Trench - a steep-sided depression in the ocean floor
Volcano - a vent in the Earth's surface through which magma and gases erupt
Volcanic Arc - an arc-shaped chain of volcanoes that form above the subduction zone
A subduction zone is also generated when two oceanic plates collide — the older plate is forced under the younger one, and it leads to the formation of chains of volcanic islands known as island arcs.
Collision Zones and Mountains
What happens when two continental plates collide? Because the rock making up continental plates is generally lighter and less dense than oceanic rock, it is too light to get pulled under the earth and turned into magma. Instead, a collision between two continental plates crunches and folds the rock at the boundary, lifting it up and leading to the formation of mountains and mountain ranges .
Fill in the type of crust converging in the image below. Two continental crusts come together to make mountains and mountain ranges.
Roll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words below:
Continental Crust - Earth's crust that makes up the continents
Mountain - a high, large mass of Earth and rock that rises above the Earth's crust with steep or sloping sides
2. At divergent boundaries, tectonic plates are moving away from each other. One result of huge masses of crust moving apart is seafloor spreading. This occurs when two plates made of oceanic crust pull apart. A crack in the ocean floor appears and then magma oozes up from the mantle to fill in the space between the plates, forming a raised ridge called a mid-ocean ridge. The magma also spreads outward, forming new ocean floor and new oceanic crust.
When two continental plates diverge, a valley-like rift develops. This rift is a dropped zone where the plates are pulling apart. As the crust widens and thins, valleys form in and around the area, as do volcanoes, which may become increasingly active. Early in the rift formation, streams and rivers flow into the low valleys and long, narrow lakes can be created. Eventually, the widening crust along the divergent boundary may become thin enough that a piece of the continent breaks off, forming a new tectonic plate.
3. At transform boundaries, tectonic plates are not moving directly toward or directly away from each other. Instead, two tectonic plates grind past each other in a horizontal direction. This kind of boundary results in a fault. A fault is a crack or fracture in the earth's crust that is associated with this movement.
Transform boundaries and the resulting faults produce many earthquakes because edges of tectonic plates are jagged rather than smooth. As the plates grind past each other, the jagged edges strike each other, catch, and stick, "locking" the plates in place for a time. Because the plates are locked together without moving, a lot of stress builds up at the fault line. This stress is released in quick bursts when the plates suddenly slip into new positions. The sudden movement is what we feel as the shaking and trembling of an earthquake.
The motion of the plates at a transform boundary has given this type of fault another name, a strike slip fault. The best-studied strike-slip fault is the San Andreas Fault in California.
4. Complete the Plate Interactions Challenge and Test Skills questions.
My score for Plate Interactions Challenge = 7 out of 10
My score for Test Skills questions = 17 out of 30 or 57 %
Part V. Questions you should be able to answer now that you completed this webquest.
Convergent Boundary
(ocean – continental)
It's a convergent boundary where the oceanic crust gets pulled under the continental plate because it is denser. This forms a subduction zone where oceanic trenches can occur.
Convergent Boundary
(ocean – ocean)
This can collision can cause volcanoes when the older oceanic plate is forced under the younger one. This forms a chain of volcanic islands known as island arcs.
Convergent Boundary (continental – continental)
It makes a mountain range when the continental plates crumble and fold up on each other, lifting up the crust and making a mountain range.
1. Deep-ocean trench and subduction zones are created by convergent boundaries of ocean and continental crust.
2. Deep-ocean earthquake , tsunamis , and island arcs are created by convergent boundaries of ocean and ocean crust.
3. Mountain Ranges are created by convergent boundaries of continental and continental crust.
4. Another type of boundary neither creates nor consumes crust. This type of boundary is called a transformation boundary because two plates move against each other, building up tension, then release the tension is a sudden jerk of land called an earthquake.
A. The boundary where two plates meet and trenches are formed. Oceanic and continental convergence.
B. The plates move away from each other allowing magma to create new ocean crust. Divergent
C. The plates move in opposite directions building up tension until they slip causing earthquakes. Transformation
Part I: Earth’http://education.weebly.com/weebly/main.phps Structure. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/structure.html
1. Label the layers of Earth in the diagram below. Since the picture is gone, the layers of the Earth, from the closest to the furthest are crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
2. The lithosphere is made up of the crust and a tiny bit of the upper mantle .
3. The plates of the lithosphere move (or float) on this hot, malleable semi-liquid
zone in the upper mantle, directly underneath the lithosphere. This is known as the
asthenosphere.
4. The layer of Earth that is the only liquid layer is the outer core.
Part II. Plate Tectonics. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/drift.html
1. True or False? Image A depicts what Earth looks like today. (circle the correct answer) False, from the website, "B" is what the Earth looks like today.
2. What did Earth look like 250 million years ago? The continents of Earth were clustered together in formation that a scientist named Pangaea. The scientist that named “Pangaea” was a German scientist by the name of Alfred Wegener. He theorized that “Pangaea" split apart and the different landmasses, or continents, drifted to their current locations on the globe. Wegener’s theories of plate movement became the basis for the development of the theory of plate tectonics.
3. Order the images of Earth’s plates in order from oldest or earliest (1) to most recent (5).
From 200 million years ago, the continents were all together
135 million years ago, the continents were starting to slowly drift apart
65 million years ago, the continents were spreading even more
50-40 million years ago, the continents are in their current state
Part III. Plates and Boundaries. Use the following link to find these answers: http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/plate.html
1. Name the missing tectonic plates in the blanks on the image below.
Tectonics Plates:
Pacific Plate
Nazca Plate
Cocos Plate
Caribbean Plate
Juan de Fuca Plate
North American Plate
Scotia Plate
South American Plate
African Plate
Antarctic Plate
Arabian Plate
Eurasian Plate
Indian Plate
Australian Plate
Philippine Plate
2. The place where the two plates meet is called a boundary. Boundaries have different names depending on how the two plates are moving in relationship to each other.
A. If two plates are pushing towards each other it is called a convergent.
B. If two plates are moving apart from each other it is called a divergent.
C. If two plates are sliding past each other it is a called a transformation.
3. Label the type of boundary depicted in each image below.
4. Plates and Boundaries Challenge. Follow directions for the challenge. Record your results below:
Part I. Number of correctly placed plates = eight
Part II. Number of boundary types correctly labeled = five
Part IV. Slip, Slide, and Collide. Use the following link to find these answers: http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/slip.html
1. At convergent boundaries, tectonic plates collide with each other. The events that occur at these boundaries are linked to the types of plates (oceanic or continental) that are interacting.
Subduction Zones and Volcanoes
At some convergent boundaries, an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate. Oceanic crust tends to be denser and thinner than continental crust, so the denser oceanic crust gets bent and pulled under, or subducted, beneath the lighter and thicker continental crust. This forms what is called a subduction zone. As the oceanic crust sinks, a deep oceanic trench, or valley, is formed at the edge of the continent. The crust continues to be forced deeper into the earth, where high heat and pressure cause trapped water and other gasses to be released from it. This, in turn, makes the base of the crust melt, forming magma. The magma formed at a subduction zone rises up toward the earth's surface and builds up in magma chambers, where it feeds and creates volcanoes on the overriding plate. When this magma finds its way to the surface through a vent in the crust, the volcano erupts, expelling lava and ash . An example of this is the band of active volcanoes that encircle the Pacific Ocean, often referred to as the Ring of Fire.
Roll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words below:
Subduction Zone – area where one plate is being pulled under the edge of another
Magma - molten rock, gases, and solid crystals and minerals
Trench - a steep-sided depression in the ocean floor
Volcano - a vent in the Earth's surface through which magma and gases erupt
Volcanic Arc - an arc-shaped chain of volcanoes that form above the subduction zone
A subduction zone is also generated when two oceanic plates collide — the older plate is forced under the younger one, and it leads to the formation of chains of volcanic islands known as island arcs.
Collision Zones and Mountains
What happens when two continental plates collide? Because the rock making up continental plates is generally lighter and less dense than oceanic rock, it is too light to get pulled under the earth and turned into magma. Instead, a collision between two continental plates crunches and folds the rock at the boundary, lifting it up and leading to the formation of mountains and mountain ranges .
Fill in the type of crust converging in the image below. Two continental crusts come together to make mountains and mountain ranges.
Roll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words below:
Continental Crust - Earth's crust that makes up the continents
Mountain - a high, large mass of Earth and rock that rises above the Earth's crust with steep or sloping sides
2. At divergent boundaries, tectonic plates are moving away from each other. One result of huge masses of crust moving apart is seafloor spreading. This occurs when two plates made of oceanic crust pull apart. A crack in the ocean floor appears and then magma oozes up from the mantle to fill in the space between the plates, forming a raised ridge called a mid-ocean ridge. The magma also spreads outward, forming new ocean floor and new oceanic crust.
When two continental plates diverge, a valley-like rift develops. This rift is a dropped zone where the plates are pulling apart. As the crust widens and thins, valleys form in and around the area, as do volcanoes, which may become increasingly active. Early in the rift formation, streams and rivers flow into the low valleys and long, narrow lakes can be created. Eventually, the widening crust along the divergent boundary may become thin enough that a piece of the continent breaks off, forming a new tectonic plate.
3. At transform boundaries, tectonic plates are not moving directly toward or directly away from each other. Instead, two tectonic plates grind past each other in a horizontal direction. This kind of boundary results in a fault. A fault is a crack or fracture in the earth's crust that is associated with this movement.
Transform boundaries and the resulting faults produce many earthquakes because edges of tectonic plates are jagged rather than smooth. As the plates grind past each other, the jagged edges strike each other, catch, and stick, "locking" the plates in place for a time. Because the plates are locked together without moving, a lot of stress builds up at the fault line. This stress is released in quick bursts when the plates suddenly slip into new positions. The sudden movement is what we feel as the shaking and trembling of an earthquake.
The motion of the plates at a transform boundary has given this type of fault another name, a strike slip fault. The best-studied strike-slip fault is the San Andreas Fault in California.
4. Complete the Plate Interactions Challenge and Test Skills questions.
My score for Plate Interactions Challenge = 7 out of 10
My score for Test Skills questions = 17 out of 30 or 57 %
Part V. Questions you should be able to answer now that you completed this webquest.
Convergent Boundary
(ocean – continental)
It's a convergent boundary where the oceanic crust gets pulled under the continental plate because it is denser. This forms a subduction zone where oceanic trenches can occur.
Convergent Boundary
(ocean – ocean)
This can collision can cause volcanoes when the older oceanic plate is forced under the younger one. This forms a chain of volcanic islands known as island arcs.
Convergent Boundary (continental – continental)
It makes a mountain range when the continental plates crumble and fold up on each other, lifting up the crust and making a mountain range.
1. Deep-ocean trench and subduction zones are created by convergent boundaries of ocean and continental crust.
2. Deep-ocean earthquake , tsunamis , and island arcs are created by convergent boundaries of ocean and ocean crust.
3. Mountain Ranges are created by convergent boundaries of continental and continental crust.
4. Another type of boundary neither creates nor consumes crust. This type of boundary is called a transformation boundary because two plates move against each other, building up tension, then release the tension is a sudden jerk of land called an earthquake.
A. The boundary where two plates meet and trenches are formed. Oceanic and continental convergence.
B. The plates move away from each other allowing magma to create new ocean crust. Divergent
C. The plates move in opposite directions building up tension until they slip causing earthquakes. Transformation
Plate Tectonics Notes
Structure of the Earth
Crust- the part we live on
Mantle- biggest part, liquid magma
Outer Core- liquid metal
Inner Core- hard metal, mostly iron
The crust of made up of continental and oceanic crust.
Continental Crust- thick (10-70 km), buoyant (less dense than oceanic), mostly old
Oceanic Crust- thin (less than 7 k), dense (sinks under continental crust), young
What are plate tectonics?
Alfred Wegner proposed in the early 1900s that the continents were joined together in a giant land mass called Pangea (means "all land" in Greek) Wegner thought that the continents slowly drifted apart and got into their current positions due to continental drift. But nobody believed him because he had evidence to say that the continents were together at one point in time (fossils, rock layers, the continents fitting together), but he couldn't explain *how* the continents moved. He died on an expedition trying to prove his theory. After his death, a man by the name of Henry Hess in the 1960s used new technology to prove Wegner's theory with the Sea-floor spreading theory. He proposed that hot, less dense material rises, then flows sideways, carrying the seafloor away from the ridge in both directions. As the sea-floor spreads apart at a mid-ocean ridge, new sea-floor is created. This theory helped to explain the theory of plate tectonics. Earth's crust and part of the crust of the upper mantle broke into sections and could move. Convection from the inside of the Earth helped the plates move. It moves on the plastic-like layer of the mantle called asthenosphere.
- 12 major plates
- plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape against each other
- Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of Earth's structures or "tectonic" features
- The word " tectonic" refers to the reformation of the crust as a consequence of plate interaction
"Plates" of the lithosphere are moved around by the underlying hot mantle convection cells.
Plate Boundries
- Divergent- move away
-Convergent- move together
- Transformation- sliding
Divergent Boundaries- spreading ridges, as plates move apart new material is erupted to fill the gap
Continental rifting- where land pulls itself apart.
Convergent Boundaries
Continental-Continental- forms mountians
Continental- Oceanic- called subduction, makes volcanoes
Oceanic- Oceanic- makes oceanic trench
Transform Boundaries
Plates slide past each other
Geologic Principles
Principle of Uniformitarianism
The process occuring on Earth today have been occuring since it formed, but at different rates and intensities
Principle of Original Horizontality
Sedimentary Rocks are deposited in nearly horizontal layer
Principle of Superposition
Oldest rocks are on the bottom, each successive layer is younger
Principle of Faunal Succession
Oldest fossils are in the bottom layers, successive layers are younger
Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
An intrusion is younger than the rock it cuts across
Crust- the part we live on
Mantle- biggest part, liquid magma
Outer Core- liquid metal
Inner Core- hard metal, mostly iron
The crust of made up of continental and oceanic crust.
Continental Crust- thick (10-70 km), buoyant (less dense than oceanic), mostly old
Oceanic Crust- thin (less than 7 k), dense (sinks under continental crust), young
What are plate tectonics?
Alfred Wegner proposed in the early 1900s that the continents were joined together in a giant land mass called Pangea (means "all land" in Greek) Wegner thought that the continents slowly drifted apart and got into their current positions due to continental drift. But nobody believed him because he had evidence to say that the continents were together at one point in time (fossils, rock layers, the continents fitting together), but he couldn't explain *how* the continents moved. He died on an expedition trying to prove his theory. After his death, a man by the name of Henry Hess in the 1960s used new technology to prove Wegner's theory with the Sea-floor spreading theory. He proposed that hot, less dense material rises, then flows sideways, carrying the seafloor away from the ridge in both directions. As the sea-floor spreads apart at a mid-ocean ridge, new sea-floor is created. This theory helped to explain the theory of plate tectonics. Earth's crust and part of the crust of the upper mantle broke into sections and could move. Convection from the inside of the Earth helped the plates move. It moves on the plastic-like layer of the mantle called asthenosphere.
- 12 major plates
- plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape against each other
- Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of Earth's structures or "tectonic" features
- The word " tectonic" refers to the reformation of the crust as a consequence of plate interaction
"Plates" of the lithosphere are moved around by the underlying hot mantle convection cells.
Plate Boundries
- Divergent- move away
-Convergent- move together
- Transformation- sliding
Divergent Boundaries- spreading ridges, as plates move apart new material is erupted to fill the gap
Continental rifting- where land pulls itself apart.
Convergent Boundaries
Continental-Continental- forms mountians
Continental- Oceanic- called subduction, makes volcanoes
Oceanic- Oceanic- makes oceanic trench
Transform Boundaries
Plates slide past each other
Geologic Principles
Principle of Uniformitarianism
The process occuring on Earth today have been occuring since it formed, but at different rates and intensities
Principle of Original Horizontality
Sedimentary Rocks are deposited in nearly horizontal layer
Principle of Superposition
Oldest rocks are on the bottom, each successive layer is younger
Principle of Faunal Succession
Oldest fossils are in the bottom layers, successive layers are younger
Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
An intrusion is younger than the rock it cuts across