L_ Bosic Klrowledge: Understonding the Eorth I

(A) THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH

Whot lies deep within the eorth?

. Scientisls hove discovered thot our eorfh is fqr frorn unifo.m from iis outer
crust to its centae. fnsteod, it consists of o centrol core with severol loyers
s!rro!nding it.

The Eorth is mode up of 3 principol loyers:-

I) Core
II) it\ontle
III) Lithosphere

r) coRE

At cenire of the eorfh

About 3000 km in rodius
Temperotures estimoted to be between 2BoO"C ond 31OO"C
Composed of iron ond nickel
Subdivided into:-
o An inner core =) solid
rodius of 7BO krn

An ouler core -> liquid

.odius of 2160 krn
 II) A,\ANTLE

Sqrrounding the core rAallar',l[qwil

2900 km in thickness
B0% of ecrth's volume
\l/kt,hg I serrtl- flol\.ert: ho li.iuidt{
Temperoture between 1BOO'C ond 28OO.C
Composed of minerol molters in solid stote ( moinly rocks rich in
mognesium
and iron silicotes)
. Wiihin the uppe. montle is o sofl loyer, colled the osthenosphere
o Locqted beiween depths of 1OO ond 300 km
o Semi mollen loyer; rock here is necr ils nelting tenrperofure ond
is therefore eosily deformed.
o gecouse it is eosily deformed, it focililoles the movement of lhe
rigid loyer (lithosphere) obove it (mq lh,lblz
)
The boundory between the montle ond the crusi is known os the
Mohoroviiii
disconlinuity
o Also known os the'Moho discontinuity

Crus10-100 knr
thick

Not ta scale

6J78 k.n
scala

Figure l_ Cross s€ction of the eorth

Source: http: //pobs. usgs.gov./pu b licd tions./t€xrlinside. htlnl
I!I) LITHOsPHERE

I
I

t Lrthosphere'
Lithosrlhcru I ii
r1
:\4antl€
til+
Mrn{e

I I

FiErre 2. Ihe osthenosphere, lithosphe.€ ond the L,\oho.ovi;ii discontinuity

Cool b.ittleloyer obont 100 km ihick

Includes crust ond uppeamost pqrl of ihe lnqhtle
Brok€n anto lorge units colled lithospheric plotes; eoch plote being oble to
nove independently of ihe plofes q.ound it
Thinnest loyer. overcAing <20 km thick
-Subdivid"-.1 inloi
^ Conlinenfol lithospheric crusl
o Oceonic lithospheric crvst
Differences belween continentol c.usl ond oceqnic crust ore highlighted in
Toble 1on the following poge-
As highlighted in Toble 1, continentol crust ( olso known os "5iol") differs
from oceonic crust(olso known os "5imo" ) in terms of composition. oge,
thickness ond density.
Continentol crust is oldea, thickea, ond less dense compored to oceonic
crust
l_ Continehfol

Domrnonce
( olso lnown cs Srbl)

of chernicol elernenis of
(olso known os Sma

Dominonce of chemicol

l::.--
l4ss
silico (si) ond oluminium (ol) elemenfs of silicc (si) ond

I r1c149ss
LDehsity 3.O - 3:&rornsger cm3
Toble 1 : Difference, U.rw..n.or*ir,.nt"l
ond oceonic cr,0st

Continental
Crust

l0 km

1O0 km

200 km
 B) THE 6EOLO6IC T1ME 5CALE

How old is the Eorth?

. Th€ Eo.fh is estimoted to hqve been formed 4600 OO0 0OO yeors o9o!
. Even if this figure is simplified io 4600 millioh yeors, tt still presents o
tirnescqle for beyond our understcnding.
. fn order to better express ond desc ri6e lhe oges of rocks, geologisfs
developed Ihe geologic time scole ( refer to Figure 4 on following poge)
. This time scole .summorizes" eorfh's history by orgonizang millions of yeors
of history into eras, periods ond epochs :

Ero
o fhere ore three eros Poleozoic, Mesozotc and Cenozoi.
o These eros sow the evolution of life forms in the oceons ond
on rhir lqnds
o fhe Cenozoic ero is imporfonl in terms of the continentol
surface5. os neorly oll londscope feotures todoy hove been
forned in the 65 million yeors since this ero begon

Period
o The subdivision of eoch ero
Epoch
o As the Cenozoic ero is comporolively shoat in durotion,
scorcely more thon the overoge dLtrotion of o single period in older
eros, it is subdivided di.ectly into seven lesser time units colled
epochs

. The geologicol time scole serves os o useful reference for geologisfs to

describe the tining of events in Eorth's history_
 Epqch Ao.
Pr.iod Mqior Aiologieol
(c.no:oic antyl B Gcolcgic Evonr*
l[cloc.nc {.. 4+r !.t1-r 46c ry.r!r.n !f
(.' tRcccnt l .Ot
€votcrnory
o Pl!irtoCena 5 9...rdr lrr'rr r( ..n1r..n,
o PliocG6c 15.5 u.,.taD6.ftr €r n{i.r
!6Fidt C.iurr i Cc.€6d,oi Or.{.n,
Tcrllcry Miocrne lzs s r,/.,r.d 5rdr.r:
1. t art C!deriir. t.c.q. r.r.
Oll{ oc a.rn 3,6-,--
() arl,a.tian !a aiilr6vrti
54,"
o
N
Cr!toc!ou!

\\_-*-__:
{r/
/Eo
lrcr.hoq pr'ir. fi4r, i. nd{nr
*r Corcirr..or Ord O.ir

o t65 cddrr.i.i o?.c.^r

Iriossie to.,riri .r!(! r d r Lrir..".r6{i,

?3C ap.rr..*;a. or60rir:
r. c..4 r..!

4n{ *cdaer -ri!.

: e65
AFor!.(nidtr o/rgrar,

-- !.Dr rr. .oet ir.d!r io,dra,

fqr.
vqnioat 3to &si€.,na ir li. ae.l.d!r,,
i
Alir:i:s* r,.(qi6 r. ;^;;;;;;;;*
355 <{..6j4r. d.o{rir;d.i rfur.. 0..q.{r
ippaan
"i i. Cndnr.r.^ t .! r. e.r, (*acrr

Fk.r raad srd,dti r |r.l ,d,i.! a ,i...

D6Y{11idn
4r1 ff,..(t dtrj rsdt fi!i: ahrn.t,onr
4ts.c? r {co{rd5 6.op..r i. rn.

.lcFr.d r,r i. r
Silu.iofi 425

O.deviciel
_
;l3.__l- 478 tiln riria r rd{.nlr e..q..'l r.

Fl.rt fir.*.t i^r+!.!r.r.. t ..ior

Csrnbrldn
'l GOO
ll|!al4( .t ,i..t6
^i4rr..
Pricombrlcfl tit|r G bog n 5 billion yiors (igo
Figure 4. The 6eotogac Tilne scote

6
 1. PLATE TECTONIC5 THEORY

q) Feoiures of the Plqte Tectonics Theor

l. Eqfth,
j.
j u( f o,u, ttqdl ,lo o{ plo'fu5 2. Plru4xs novz
("c\ch Aly*r
telqttvt 1o
Definirion: Ludf 01,,r r ...nJ
qL liui)i? i 0&(t 0n
P'q L8 v 0u nd0 rLp:
. Plote teclonics theorv is Url

. The word "tectonics" or ("tectonics octivil-',") refers to the study of the

movement of lifhospheric ploles ond their boundqry inferoctions.

Key Feotures of the Plote Tectonics Theory:

. World's surfoce divided into 7 major pldtes ond severol minor plotes; eoch oboui
75 km thick. ( Fig 5)
. Rigid plotes "flool" on underlying semi,molten montle ( ie: osthenosphere) qnd
ore moved by convection currenfs.
. As o aesult of convection currents generoled by heot from the ceItre of the
eorth, ploles may nove towatds, away {rom or sideways olong odJocent plotes.

Convection cqrrents hypothesisfrrst p.oposed by English 6eologast , Arthur Holmes.

Intense heat energy released from lhe core of fhe Eorth (due to the rodiooctrve
decoy of chemicol elemenis in the €ore) qenerdtes convection cur.ents in the
lndntle.
As convection cu.rents rise, th€y wall frovel ldterdlly upon reachang the unde.side of
lilhosphere. As fhey lrovel loterolly, they will pull fhe plotes owoy from eoch other (
or sidewoys olone eoch orher). dlte(g.!nl \rqnslOrn Ar
Upon giving up their heol energy Io the lithosphere, the currents cool ond descend
bock into the montle. As they descend, they pull the plotes towqrds eoch other ( or
sidewoys olong eoch ofher\. L)\\\lvfqlnl A. lfaASf)fm
> This hypothesis ssggesfs that conveclion cells within the lrlontle corried the plotes
ond lhot the plotes ployed liltle or no ociive port in the convection

. Where ploies nove oport ( ie'. diverge), new crustol mate ol maybe cteated.
Where ploles move lowords eoch other, crustdl mqteriol mar,/ 6e desttoyed_
Becquse the caeotion of crustol noteriql ot divergent plote boundories is
compensoted by the destruction of crastol mqteriol at convergent plste boundories,
hence lhe world is nof increasina or decreasina in size.
(olv{tf.on tUtttnl tttyp1lfu1,'9 J\r$fldry,
'fuul lran.lprrrJ lrat, Io o\tlh.rl0lpWttu/t(/tI< (tu t:vtll
trytqrtlk
ttt, pl.rtr. qw','y +(a/r' P\Lh \)tfLr r' rida,.+uYs 7 t

,WttI tvryy i:'losl q,nd ct^n(nt; dxsU,ttr bo,ck inlo ntar,tlz putl
1Vo pl' U i 1au""tr'J' ?uLh 0+Wf 0t 1i\JlwqVt
It is ot these boundories thot mosi of fhe world,s mojor londforms ond volconic
ond eorihquoke octivity is locoted.

The types of londforms ond phenonenq ossocioted with lhese boundorres will
depend on the noture of the plote rnovement ond the type
of crustol mqteriol oi
the plole boundories

-f
\YS (
I

o \
I
!'

!a
! I
\
I

i
t \
+

J
E !
li
D
\:
a
E .Qe 30,
t
o h .l! H!
CI Eo
v

Figu.e 5:. The Lifhospheric ptotes of the Eorrh

b) Evidence supoortinq the Plqte Tectonics Theory
The Plote Tectonics theory encornposses older concepts of contineniol driff,
developed during the first holf of the Z1th century, ond seofloor spreodinq.
understood during the 1960s.

Continental driflr Proposed by Alfred V,/egener in 1912, this concepl suggested

thoi oll the continents were once joined togelher os o "super conlinent,, known
os Pongoeo which loler drified oport to forn the contanenls os we know them
todoy.

seq-floor spreodinqi This concept suggests thot new oceonic crust is constontly
being cteoted ih the middle of oceanic bosins. As new oceonic crust is being
creoted, the seo floor as being exiended over time.

fhe evrdence supporlin_g the occurren(e of conltnentol drltt ond seo-lloor

spreoding ore the evidirnce thof support the plqie tectonics theory.

All these evidence support plote tectonics iheory by offirning ihe fqcl thoi
plotes move relotive to each ofher_

Evidence supporting Plote Tectonics Theory

. Lvrdence supporling : . Evidence supporting :

: Conlanentol Drifi : i Seo Floor spreoding :
,...................... --.........--.....'....
uJiXsqa {i1s o{ coalimtiql (lqsllinxt q lVlQ\MliL tpVpfsqls
zr 0qlq eorrlo{uglc o1 e,tidtn7 nAy. al fock on {tqfloa,
,fu.alr;gic erticlt,cu
tt p qlqs o- (,I)nafic
e u i dt n u
sr
floloeo fl,togri/tlc evid!,\LL
 Lrrnospnerrc ftocesses, Hdzorcls ond Monogemeni :pLATE I ECfONICS
SRJC
l) Jigsow fif of the cohtinentdl coostlines ( Continentol Drift)

In 1620, Froncis Bocon noted fhot the South Americon ond Africon coostlines on
opposite sides of the Atldntic Oceon seemed to fit like odjqcent pieces of o
j;9sow pur.zle (f'q. o)

Such continenfol refits suggested thal fhe continents mqy hove been once port
of a supercontineni (Pongoeo) which eventuolly drifted oporl os the ploles
"corrying" ihese continents moved.

Fig,rre 6. Continental refits

2) Poloeontologicol Evidehce: Distribution of Fossils ( Continentol Drift)

.
Polaeontoloqy refers io ihe study of prehistoric onimols ond plonts through the
medium of fossil evidence-

. Fossils of ideniicol species were found on coniinenls ihot were now widely
seporoted by oceons. This slggests thqt these continents wete once
connected but
eventuolly drifted opor-t os the plotes 'cdffying,, these continents
moved_

Close simjlority in the fossil plonts preserved in the coql

forrnotion of the southern conl inenfs

E.g:Ihe distinctive Pet'n'rcn f/ora. Glossapterts flora, were found in the southern
continents
ondnol in the northem confinents (Ftg Z)

l0
. Connon fauna: fhe ptesence of lorge terrestriol vertebrotes of closely reloled
species on eoch of the southe.n continenis

E.g: Fossils of the

Mesosaurus (alligatorlike reptile) have been found on/y in the Itarafe
forhotion of Brozil ond the DLlyka forno on of South Aftica in sihilar sedinentary beds.
It was unlikely that the repti/e swan 4qookn o.rost the Attonhc Th,Js. the stnilar Dwyka
and Ifafore forhations nay have been once joihed together.

GkJssapt€{is Lystrosaurus M€s)saurus

Oistritlution ot fosgis across thg southern coqllngnts of Pang6a.

Figur€ 7. The distribufion of fossils in the soulhe.n contanents

3) Geologic Evidence ( Continentol Drift)

Geology refers to the study of rocks: age of rocks, mine.ol composriron,

sequence ol rock types (strotigrophy).

. Geologic studies hove reveoled thot thzre ore motching rock types on the
shelves of continenis thot qre now oport.(Fig B)

Eg I: pock doting studies in Africd ond South Anerica showed thot lhe paltern of rock oges
for th6e 2 regio6 has o close correspondence

Eg Z:-llegener found iEtonces in which on unconmon rock fype or o distinctive seguence of

roc/<s on one side of the Atlantic Ocean wos identical lo rocks on the other side. I4/hen
plotted on a Pangaea nap. those on the east side of the Atlantic were continuous on the

lt
 Eg 3. Unusual violet quortzites, Devonian perioal in age? occur
in both Brozit on.j South
Africa n locotions which wou/d be adjocent if the Soith Anericon
and Afrjcan conttnents

Eg 4: The geo/agical sequenceof sedinentary and rgneous rocks froa Ba/lantrae and
Girvon
tn Scol/ond natch those found jn Newfoundlond

Match ot cratofls lryrdsJ anC aoaont ororxsnk

baltg (f,l!1lil b6trr6,,3'.: Soufir /4fi tr ica and ilrtca
Figure 8. /,lotch sf geologicat siructure in South Ame.ico ond Afri.d

4) Poloeo-cli.no+ic Evidence: poloeoglociot,oh ( Contihentol

Drift)
Poloeoclimotology refers to the study of climofe chonge over
the spon of Eorth.s
history. It relies on records fron rocks, ice sheeis ond sediments
to defermine
posf climotic condifions on Eorth

Differenf regions on Eorth experienc e diflerent cl,motic conditions. Sance

certoin rock lypeslsedimenls con only form under oppropriole
clinotic
conditions, their disfribution will be restricted to specific
locolities

The discovery of rocks/sedirnents in locolities where

they were unlikely 1o be
formed given the present climotic conditions, suggests thoi fhe
conlinents were
locoted oh a different port of the glo6e wheie they expe
enced different
(lilnolic condrlron<

Evidence of glqcioiion ( ie: 1s6e13a from rocks. ice-sheets

or sedimenis) ih
oreqs thqt ore now much wormer suggesls thof these continents
were situoted

t2
 neor the poles. Clrmofic chonges observed in ihese continents were thus the
resull of the continenis driftinq from one lGtitude to onother.

Eg 1:E!!!€t!erI ry!4q5ya4past alociation over rndio in places where ice cannot exjst
today, cannot be exploined by global clinntic.honges since there is no evidence of the
sane cooling trends on other conttnenls.

Eg 2: The distributian of tilhtes( olacially deposited sedinents) showed that the

soufhern continents (South Aherica, South Africa, Indta and Australia,) had gl!
experienced erlensive olaciation ot about the some time in penntan Carboniferous

Eg 3: Ihe direction in which striae ( deep s.rat.hes or groores teft behtnd on the as
huge ice sheets retreot) poinl indicates the direction in which the jce sheets hove
noved. luhen the southern continents (South Anerica, south Afrtca. India and
Austro/n,) were brought logether. the natch-up between the ice slieets wos a.curote.
suggesttng thot lhe contitents used to be together and u/ere clusfered around the
south Pole at the satne rinE (Fig 9)

Figure 9. Ext€nt of the

ice sheet during the
Pernion corboniferous

Fn$tibn of tn6 ic6 slu? el orf.r ths sa$1kafi

c-anttlanls 1ga-tfi Ma eoo

5) Poloeomognetic evidencei (Apparent) Polor Wondering Curves (Cohlihehtol

D.ift)
. Poloemognetjsm refers to the study of the mogneiic properties of rocks in
order to reconstrucl the Eorth's oncient rnognetic field.

. How Polaenganettc studies help us teconstruct Earth's /tlagnetic field..

> Most rocks contdin mognetic a.oins which reflect the di.ection of edrths
ndgnetic field dt the time the rock is formed

P lql
qil.h3 1l
 > When mdgmo sol,difies, the iron minerols will crystdll,ze
ond be.one orrentqled in
lhe direction of the prevoating lndgnetic faeld.

' By looking ot the orieniolion of the mognetic groins

in the rocks, scientrsis ccn
oscertoin the locotion of the North pole qnd fhe Souih pole

. When poloeomognetic sludies were cortied or:t in oll lhe

confinents ond in rock
somples fro6 different oceons during the 5Os ond
6Os, some controdictory doto
colled lhe oltention of screnttsls:

> Different position of North pole

over time: For somples extrocfed frori the
satne contrnenl whrch corresponded to dtlferent oges,
ih€ orientotion of hqgnetic
grojns wos_different. This suggested thot the locolron
of the,nognetrc ruo.tt pot. n"s
different for eoch oge. os if the pote hod ,wondered" tf,_"gf,
ii.l. ff1. p"1""
wohde. cu.ve wos creofed 10 descr;be ihis focj. Studies ".^.
of p"f""1."9""t,.. *
Europecn rocks of widely differe t oge reveal ihot
Eorth,s mogneiic ,i".rr, p.f"
opporertly has sfeddily_ chqnged its position with
tine. The.ton!" in porirlon **
systemdttc, nol rondom

> Different position of Norfh pole v,/ithin some time period:

HOWEVLR, for
somples of the some dge token from drfferent
coniinents. poleomognefism ind;cored
thqt the rnognelic Norrh pole wos or different pos,r,on, ot
it,. ,.m. i^-.. J.O."O,rg
the continent considered Jr seemed cs if rhere were ."* ""
pole ol onv q,ven
;;il;;.
For in.ron,p. o srm;tor }nrgrotron ,h""";;;;
."q.. j,.;;;;;l;d ^*r,,
in Norfh Ame.icdn ',nerocks, ond, olrhough "f
rhe potn of m,9ror,o'n *.5 a,ff"..nt, ,t
parolleled rhot of rhe European sh,fr (Fag 1O)

Fig'lre 1O Polor wondering curves for

Europe ond North Am€rico, wiih the
preseht North Pole shor,,/n in the

The o9e of the rocks involved shown

by letters (from oldest to yoqngesl: Cs
. Combriqn; S.Silurion; D. bevonton;
C: Carboniferous; P: Permionj T -
Triossici J Jurossic; K. Cretaceousi
"
E . Eocene).

The North Aheracon curve is not the

sorne shope os the European curve ond
fhe moi6 61;;"."n.. occurs between
the Tridssic dnd Crefoceous period,
su99es1ing thdt the two continents
drifled opdrt durihg this period_
 The explanat'ton:

. Neither the poles wqndered nor fhere wqs rnore thon one nognefic Norfh ot
the some time. Ihsteod, the contin€hls moved oround fhe mognetic Norlh
pole through geologic time. recording in.iheir poloeomognetism the continenl s
positions reloiive to o sfationory mognetic pole. (Fig. l1)

Eg: Ihe dislance of the separation of the North and South po/es deternined for Europe and
North Anerico. ot one geological period is the distonce those continents have snce move
aport. Figure 11 shows the polar wande ng curves for Africo and South Ahterico, which dlso
shows fhat lhe difference between these two curves con only be brought toqether by

Figure 11- The opporent chohge in the locotion of ihe south rnogn€tic pole
o) Africo snd South Americo in their present posifions
b) Africo cnd South Americo in iheir positions oround 250 to 4OO rnillion yeors cgo
should the two polal" wonderingcurves be brolght together

6) Poloeomognetic €vidence : illognetic Reve.sols (Seo Floor Spreoding)

. As d,scussed eorlie., polcemqgnetism refers to the study of the mognelic

properties of rocks in o.der to reconstruct the Eorth's dncient mognetic field.

Scientific reseorch has reveoled thot Eorth' mognetic field hos reversed
polority throughout geologic hisiory.

l5
 . In the eorly 1960s, geologisls nopped the rncgnetic directions implonted in
rocks on the oceon floor off Icelond They mode oh interesting observotion:

I There were bonds of rock hognetised in qlf€rrciing bonds of normol ond r€verse
polsriiy orranged progressivety owoy frohl rh€ Mid,AtlonJic Ridge

> Also. these bonds of rock of olternating no nol ond reverse poloriiy ore
arronged
syhmetricolly on either side of the Mid Atlonlic Ridge (Fiq 12)

. This dota puzzled geologists qs one would expecl to find the some
mognetrc
orientotion in oll onolyzed rock sornples.

l2: Mognetic reversols

fhe explanation: (Fig t3)

. As the moving convection cell corries oceonic crust owoy from the sprecding
centrc/rift, slowly bui confinuously, bdsolfic mogmq rises through the spreoding
centre/rift. As fhe bosolfic mogmo cools, it forms new oceonic crusf ond
acquires lhe orientotion of the Eorth's moghelic field qt thot tine.

. As the convection cqrrents in fhe rnontle continue to drive the plqtes

opart, the
newly formed oceonic crusi on eithe. side of the spreoding centte/
ft is
cqrried owdy from it.

. The Eorth's mognetic field chonges oriehiofion periodicqlly , oa overage

every
holf o million yeors ( iet there l\ove 6een 9 mqjor reversqls in fhe post 3.6 million

t6
 yeors). This chonge in rnqgnetisn orientotioh is systemotically recorded in the
hew mogmo on the newly formed bosaltic tock emergang from fhe spreqding
centre/rift.

. This resqlts in the bdnds of rock showing olternoiing normql ond reverse
mognetic polqrity on eithet side of the mid-oceonic ridge.

tl n [ "rtl't" ll,c'e;lt| :r {''t: ( ;:'; ,';'r .

it/ /., /
1'/,//i
--:
:rit F/ ' vf' 1' . 'It,','

r.i

i ii tt .t:' 'y'1,i: )

r,.ypisqlg

Figure 13. Relotiohship of the chonges in the eorth's hognetic fi€ld and the formotion
of new oceonic cr.usl

naqtfiic RVs6qIs', f,hatoyes lr, *lV Wier,talior, aF

l\M Lqrlk,s
rAtgM+,'c 4ietd __-) pssilll/t, o[ moqfrr1;,
Nortk aal
rvr09rutic 5,1ulla \q@ftte IIIZ,henged
7) 6eologic Evidence: Age of rocks ( Seo Floor Spreoding)

. As rnenlioned eorlier, oceon floor exploration studies reveoled olternofe

bonds
of normolly ond reversely orronged mognetised rocks, symmeiricolly orrcnged
oround the Mrd A I lonirc Rrdge

. Apqrt fron thot, boreholes reveoled thot the oges of rocks neoresi to the
qwov were proqressively older( over 160 million yeors).
th..t
(Fig 14)

. This puzzled scientists os rocks jn the sone locolity should hove fhe some
oge.

Explanaflon:

. This suggesls thot new oceonrc crust wos creoted neor the spreoding
center/rift. When oceonic crust spliis ond slowly seporote, o rift opens ond
moiien rnoteriol rises up from within the mqntle to fill the openang. The mogno
rises, cools ond solidifies to form new rocks oi the edges of the rift.

. As fhe conveciion currents in the montle continoe 10 drive the ploles apart, the
newly formed oceqnic cTust on either side of ihe spreoding centre/rift is
corried owoy fron il.

. Hence, rocks closer io the spreoding center/raft will be youngec compored io

fhose further owoy from the rifi.

Figure 14: Differing Ages of Rocks in Oceonic Bosins

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 lw't",a Quesiions: Plote Tectonics Theory
i) Exploin the theory of Plote Tectonics.

) Definition qnd Key Feotures of the pldte Tectonics Theory

) Evidence thot support the Plote Tectonics Theory

ii) Exploin the evidence thot supports the plote Tectonics

Theory.

Ilust include:
'> Definilion of Plote Tecfonics theory
. Not necessory to qddress key features here becouse guestion is
osking { or evidence

) Evidence supporting Pldte tectonics theory

. Evidence suppo.ting both continental drift ond seo floor spreoding should be
provided.
. However, students should preferobly select evidence supporling seo floor
spreoding ( ie: mognetic revercol ond geologic o9e) because it is more recent
ond hence more relevont.
. When oddressing these evidence, il as vitol thqt studenls exploin how ihese
evidence offirm thot there is the movement of ihe plotes.

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