PlateTectonics

TheDynamicEarth

StructureofEarth

*Bracketwithkilometerrepresentsthethickness

Earthisstructuredoffourlayers(Crust,Mantle,Outercore,Innercore)withdistinctcharacteristics.
Crustistheoutermostlayerthatismainlymadeofsolid,rock.(570km)
Mantleisthethickestlayerthatisdividedintotwoparts:
Uppermantleiscomposedofmoltenrocks(660km)
Lowermantleismadeofsolid,densematerials(2225km)
Coreislocatedinthecenteroftheearthanditisalsodividedintotwoparts:
Outercoreiscomposedofliquidironandnickel(2270km)
Innercoreismostlycomposedofdensesolidiron

TectonicPlateswithinEarth

Tectonicplatesarelargeandrigidplatesthatareinconstantmotion(12majortectonicplates
exist)
Lithosphereisconsistedofcrustandlocatedattheuppermostmantle.
Asthenosphereislocatedbeneaththelithosphere,intheuppermantle.Thislayeris
mainlycomposedofmoltenrocks,whichbehavelikefluid.

EvidenceofDynamicEarth

Theimageaboveistheprocessofcontinentaldrift,inwhichthecontinentsareinconstantmotion,soone
wholecontinentgraduallygetsapartintopiecesovertime.

ContinentalDrift
TheoryproposedbyAlfredWegener,statingthatthecontinentshadmovedanddriftedtotheir
presentlocationsthroughoutmillionsofyears.
Geologicalevidencesthatsupportthetheory:
Thecontinentsfitasawholelikeapuzzle
MainlySouthAmericaandAfrica

Coaldepositsinnontropicalregions(Antarctica)
Patternsofpaleoglaciation
Paleoglaciation:Evidenceofancientglaciersandtherockmarkingtheyleft
behind
GlaciersexistedinsouthernIndiaorAfricawheretheycouldnottoday.
Atonetime,thecontinentsformedPangaea,asinglehugelandmass.

Identicalancientfossilsondistantcoastlines
FossilsofMesosauruswasfoundintwodifferentplaces:southwestcoastof
AfricaandsoutheastcoastofSouthAmerica.
SinceMesosauruswasnotabletogoacrossthedistantAtlanticOcean,therefore
thisevidenceproposesthatthecontinentswereonceconnected.

Seafloorspreading
TheorizedbyHarryHess,proposingthattheseafloorwidensatthemidoceanridge.
Asmagmarisesandbreaksthroughthecrust,therewillbeagapinparticulararea
Thatareawouldbecalledasspreadingridge
Asthemoltenmagmarisesupandcools,itwilldryupandfillthegapintheridgewith
newformationofrocks.
Threeevidencesforseafloorspreading:
Ageofoceanrocks
Youngestrocksareclosesttotheridgesincetheyarebeingformedfromthe
centerofthesource

Sedimentthickness
Thethickerlayerofsedimentsarefartheritisfromtheridge.
Magneticstriping
AstheorientationofEarthsmagneticfieldswitchesovertime,therocksonthe
seafloorexhibitbothnormalpolarityandreversepolarity

TheimageaboveisadiagramoftheprocessofMagneticstriping.Basically,it
showsthatthenewrocksarebeinglaiddownontheseafloor.Thearrows
representtheseafloorspreadingawayfromtheridgewherethemagmarises.

Theoryofplatetectonics

Atheorythatstatesthattherearelarge12tectonicplatesand20ofsmallerones,andtheyareall
inconstantmotion.
Plateboundary:areawheretwoplatetectonicsareincontact
Threetypesofplateboundaries:
Ridgesandrifts,volcanoesandearthquakes,arecreatedatdivergentboundaries,
whereplatesaremovingawayfromeachother.
Spreadingcenterintheocean:spreadingridge,onland:riftvalley
EarthquakesandStrikeslipfaultsarecreatedalongtransformboundarieswhere
platesmovepasteachotherinoppositedirections
Strikeslipfaultiswhenthelandontheeithersidearemovingopposite
direction
Atconvergentboundarieswhereplatesmovetowardeachother,wefind
mountains,trenches,subductionzones,volcanoes,andearthquakes,depending
onthetypesofplatesinvolved.
Subductionzone:regionwheretwoplatesoverlap
Oceanicoceanicconvergentboundaries:createsislands(ex.Philippines)
Oceaniccontinentalconvergentboundaries:createdeepoceantrenches
andmountainchains
Continentalcontinentalconvergentboundaries:createsinlandmountain
ranges(ex.Himalayas)

(a)Divergent:twoplatesaremovingawayfromeachother(b)Transform:platesmovingpasttoeach
other(c)Convergent:platesmovingtowardeachother

MovingTectonicPlates

ThreefactorscausethemovementofEarthstectonicplates:
Mantleconvectionhotmantlerises,thencoolsandsinksatanotherlocation.Frictionbetween
themovingmantleandthelithospherepushestheplatealong.

Ridgepushhotrisingmantlebulgestheedgesofadivergentboundary.Asmagmafillsintothe
gap,itcoolsdownandpushestheplatesapart.
Slabpulldenserplatesinksbeneathalessdenseplatewhentheyarepushedtogether.The
sinkingplatepullstherestoftheplatwithitintotheasthenosphere.

Forcesatplateboundariesproducelandscapefeatures
Upliftedmountains,volcanicbelts,andislandarcsarefoundparalleltoconvergentboundaries
Oceantrenchesliealongconvergentboundaries
Midoceanridgesandriftvalleysmarkdivergentboundaries

Inthediagram,youllnoticethattheoceantrenchesarelyingalongconvergentplateboundaryaswell
asMidoceanridge(oceanicspreadingridge)markingthedivergentplateboundary.

EarthquakeistheshakingandvibrationoftheEarthscrustduetomovementofplatetectonics.
Earthquakeoccurswhentensionisreleasedfrominsidethecrust.
Thepointinsidethecrustwherethepressureisreleasediscalledthefocus.
Thepointonthesurfaceabovethefocusiscalledtheepicenter.
EarthquakesarecategorizedbyhowdeeplywithinEarththeyoccur:shallowfocus,intermediate
focus,ordeepfocus
Volcanoesareproducedoverlithospherecracksandmantlehotspot
Volcanicislandchainsandvolcanicbeltsarecreatedontheoverridingplate,paralleltoa
convergentboundary
Hotspotsarerisingplumesofhotmantlemagma.Astectonicplatesmoveoverthehotspot,a
chainofprogressivelyyoungervolcanoesisformedoppositetothedirectionofplatemovement

Astwoplatescollide,theearthquakebeginsfromthefocus,andreleasesenergyintheformofseismic
waveswidelywithepicenterasthecenter.

EarthquakessendwavesthroughEarth
Thesuddenmovementofthelithosphereduringanearthquakesendsseismicwaves(vibrations)
throughEarth
Earthquakeenergyisreleasedinseismicwaves.
Thesewavesarethestrongestneartheepicenter,becominglessstrongerastheytravel
furtheraway.
Therearetwotypesofseismicwaves:
Bodywavesthattravelsthroughair,suchassoundwaves
Twotypesofbodywaves:
Primarywaves(Pwaves)compressionwavesthatpassthroughsolids,
liquids,orgasesandabletotravelthroughallthelayersofEarth

Secondarywaves(Swaves)shearwavesthatvibrateperpendicularto
thedirectionofthewaves.Onlyabletogothroughsolidrocksand
travelstheslowest

Themiddletopistheearthquakefocuswhereallthewavesstarttospreadout.Asyoucansee,Secondary
waves(Swaves)areonlyabletopenetratethroughsolid,whereasprimarywaves(Pwaves)areableto
travelthroughallthelayerswithintheEarth.

Questions:


1.WhatisthetheorythatwaspresentedbyAlfredWegenercalled?

ContinentaldrifttheoryisproposedbyAlfredWegeneranditargues
thatthecontinentshavemovedslowlysinceEarthformedandwereonce
joinedtogetherinalandmasscalledPangaea.Thisledtoplatetectonics
andthesupercontinentPangaea.

2.Oneoftheevidenceofseafloorspreadingisthethicknessofthe
sediment.Whatdoyouthinkthethicknessofthesedimentmeans?

TheseafloorspreadingproceedsbymagmapushingtowardstheEarths
surfacebycreatingaridge.Asthemagmagoesup,newrocksformand
slidetothesidesoftheridge.Thethicknessgetsthickerwhenitmoves
awayfromtheridge.Thatalsomeanstherockisoldsinceitsthickand
furtherawayfromtheridge.

3.Write3evidenceofseafloorspreading.

4.Whatisthedifferencebetweenthelithosphereandtheasthenosphere?
Includeallofthesewordsinyouranswer.(crust,mantle,below)

5.Namethethreetypesofboundariesthatcanoccurbetweentectonic
platesanddescribeeachofthem.(ex.twoplateseachother.)

ANSWERS


1.
Continentaldrifttheory

2.
Theageoftherock

3.
Ageofoceanrocks
Sedimentthickness
Magneticstriping

4.
Thelithosphereismadeofcrustandtheuppermostmantle,and
asthenosphereisapartlymoltenlayerintheuppermantleanditlies
belowthelithosphere

5.
Convergenttwoplatesmovingtowardeachother.
Divergenttwoplatesmovingawayfromeachother.
Transformtwoplatesslidingparalleltoeachother.