Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 96 views

    G10 Q1 L7 Plate Tectonic Theory

    Uploaded by

    Mark Galang
    The document summarizes key aspects of plate tectonic theory: 1) Plate tectonics provides a unified theory for major surface features like continents and ocean basins by explaining that Earth's lithosphere is broken into plates that move over the asthenosphere. 2) Plate interactions at boundaries produce geologic features like earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains. 3) Evidence from seafloor spreading, hot spot tracks, and paleomagnetism provide strong support for the plate tectonics model.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    G10 Q1 L7 Plate Tectonic Theory

    Uploaded by

    Mark Galang
    96 views18 pages
    The document summarizes key aspects of plate tectonic theory: 1) Plate tectonics provides a unified theory for major surface features like continents and ocean basins by explaining that Earth's lithosphere is broken into plates that move over the asthenosphere. 2) Plate interactions at boundaries produce geologic features like earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains. 3) Evidence from seafloor spreading, hot spot tracks, and paleomagnetism provide strong support for the plate tectonics model.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    G10 Q1 L7 Plate Tectonic Theory (1)

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document summarizes key aspects of plate tectonic theory: 1) Plate tectonics provides a unified theory for major surface features like continents and ocean basins by explaining that Earth's lithosphere is broken into plates that move over the asthenosphere. 2) Plate interactions at boundaries produce geologic features like earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains. 3) Evidence from seafloor spreading, hot spot tracks, and paleomagnetism provide strong support for the plate tectonics model.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    96 views18 pages

    G10 Q1 L7 Plate Tectonic Theory

    Uploaded by

    Mark Galang
    The document summarizes key aspects of plate tectonic theory: 1) Plate tectonics provides a unified theory for major surface features like continents and ocean basins by explaining that Earth's lithosphere is broken into plates that move over the asthenosphere. 2) Plate interactions at boundaries produce geologic features like earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains. 3) Evidence from seafloor spreading, hot spot tracks, and paleomagnetism provide strong support for the plate tectonics model.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 18

    PLATE TECTONIC

    Theory
    Plate tectonics is the first theory to provide a
    comprehensive view of the processes that
    produced Earth’s major surface features, including
    the continents and ocean basins.
    • Within the framework of this theory, geologists have found explanations for the basic causes
    and distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain belts.
    • Able to explain the distribution of plants and animals in the geologic past, as well as the
    distribution of economically significant mineral deposits
    • Following World War II, oceanographers equipped with new marine tools and ample funding
    from the U.S. Office of Naval Research embarked on an unprecedented period of
    oceanographic exploration.
    • Over the next two decades, a much better picture of large expanses of the seafloor slowly and
    painstakingly began to emerge.
    • By 1968 these developments, among others, had led to the unfolding of a far more
    encompassing theory than continental drift, known as the theory of plate tectonics (tekto = to
    build)
    PLATE TECTONIC
    Theory
    Earth’s lithosphere, the solid outer
    crust is broken into plates that over
    the upper portion of the mantle, the
    asthenosphere
    Oceanic plates and continental
    plates, converge, diverge and
    interact at plate boundaries
    These interactions produce
    mountains, volcanoes and
    earthquakes.
    PLATE TECTONIC
    Theory
    Unifying Theory
    Based on the theory of
    continental drift and seafloor
    spreading
    It explains about the movement
    of the Earth
    What causes plates
    to move?
    Unanswered questions since
    Alfred Wegener’s Continental
    Drift Theory
    • According to the plate tectonics model, the crust
    and the uppermost, and therefore coolest, part of
    the mantle constitute Earth’s strong outer layer,
    known as the lithosphere
    (lithos = stone, sphere = ball).
    • The lithosphere varies in both thickness and
    density, depending on whether it is oceanic
    lithosphere or continental lithosphere
    Crust and upper portion of the Mantle
    Plates
    Plate Boundaries
    Processes along Plate Boundaries
    Geologic Features and Landforms
    HOW DO PLATES AND PLATE
    BOUNDARIES CHANGE?
    Although the total surface area of Earth does not
    change, the size and shape of individual plates
    are constantly changing.
    • The African and Antarctic plates, which are mainly bounded by divergent
    boundaries—sites of seafloor production—are continually growing as new
    lithosphere is added to their margins.
    • By contrast, the Pacific plate is being consumed into the mantle along its
    northern and western flanks faster that it is growing along the East Pacific Rise
    and thus is diminishing in size
    • Plate boundaries can also be created or destroyed in response to changes in
    the forces acting on the lithosphere.
    The Breakup
    of Pangaea
    • Geologists have re-created the
    steps in the breakup of this
    supercontinent, an event that
    began about 180 million years
    ago.
    • The breakup of Pangaea is a
    classic example of how plate
    boundaries change through
    geologic time.
    Plate Tectonics
    in the Future
    Geologists have extrapolated present-
    day plate movements into the future,
    where Earth’s landmasses may be 50
    million years from now if present plate
    movements persist during this time
    span
    TESTING THE PLATE TECTONICS MODEL
    EVIDENCE: OCEAN DRILLING
    • Most convincing evidence for seafloor
    spreading came from the Deep Sea Drilling
    Project, which operated from 1968 until
    1983
    • The sediments increased in age with
    increasing distance from the ridge.
    • Supported the seafloor-spreading
    hypothesis, which predicted that the
    youngest oceanic crust would be found at
    the ridge crest, the site of seafloor
    production, and the oldest oceanic crust
    would be located adjacent to the continent
    TESTING THE PLATE TECTONICS MODEL
    EVIDENCE: MANTLE PLUMES AND
    HOT SPOTS
    • Mapping volcanic islands and
    seamounts (submarine volcanoes)
    in the Pacific Ocean revealed
    several linear chains of volcanic
    structures.
    • One of the most-studied chains
    consists of at least 129 volcanoes
    that extend from the Hawaiian
    islands to Midway Island and
    continue northwestward toward the
    Aleutian trench
    TESTING THE PLATE TECTONICS MODEL
    EVIDENCE: PALEOMAGNETISM
    • Today the magnetic poles roughly
    align with the geographic poles.
    (The geographic poles are located
    where Earth’s rotational axis
    intersects the surface.)
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdQc
    rd7O8og

    You might also like