Unit 1: PLATE TECTONICS

Index

1. The Internal Structure of the Earth

2. The Movement of Continents
3. The theory of Plate Tectonics
4. The ocean
5. The Mechanisms behind Plate Tectonics
1.1 Earth internal layers
Types of classification

Compositional layers (depending on the

composition)
• CRUST
• Oceanic (10 km, basalt, denser)
• Continental (70 km, Si, less dense)
• MANTLE  peridotite
• CORE  Fe + Ni

Physical layers (depending on the physical state)

• LITHOSPHERE rigid
• LOW VELOCITY ZONE (in the past ASTHENOSPHERE)  ductile and
partially molten
• LOWER MANTLE or MESOSPHERE solid
• CORE
• Outer  molten
• Inner  solid
Low velocity zone
Page 9: In pairs, analyse the graph and explain your answer

 Temperature increases with depth

 Pressure increases with depht The melting point increases

(the temperature is below the melting point,

It does not reach the melting point

As long as the temperature (green line) is below the melting point

(red line)  SOLID
1.2 Seismic discontinuities

Methods for
studying the
interior of the
Earth

study of seismic
drilling meteorites
waves
Kola Peninsula Hole Control Centre
Types of seismic waves
P: Primary waves
• The fastest
• through SOLIDS and LIQUIDS

S: Secondary waves
• Slower
• Only through SOLIDS

R and L
• On the surface
SEISMOGRAPH (sismómetro o sismógrafo) = device used for
detecting and recording seismic waves.
It draws a seismogram (sismograma)

seismograph seismogram
Seismic Network Operations in Toledo (Spain)
Imagine you are a scientific and obtain this graph. How would you interpret the
behaviour of the seismic waves?

Primary wave

= Secondary wave
The speed of waves changes very obviously in specific places:
SEISMIC DISCONTINUITY = boundary between different internal layers where there is
A change in the speed of the internal seismic waves.

Mohorovicic discontinuity  between the crust and the mantle

 CONTINENTS: 30-40 Km depth
 OCEANS: 10 km depth

Gutenberg discontinuity  between the mantle and the core: 2900 km depth

Why do S-waves dissapear here?!? Because they cannot travel through LIQUIDS

Lehman discontinuity  between outer and inner core

The speed of P-waves increases after Lehman discontinuity

because…
The inner core is SOLID

Activities 1, 2 and 3 page 11

Theory of continental drift (1912, Wegener)
(teoría de la deriva continental)

Alfred Wegener
Theory of continental drift (1912, Wegener)

 200 million years ago all the continents were joined

together as one, called PANGEA

 Continents have separated, sliding over a continous

layer
“650millionYearsIn80seconds” video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrBPB1dHYaw&feature=related
 Evidence of the
theory of
Continental Drift

Paleoclimatic
Biological Geological evidence: evidence: glaciar
Paleolithic evidence: identical continents fit together rests appear in
evidence: identical or similar living along their coastlines places where now
fossils in continents beings in continents and have similar rocks the climate is
far apart far apart warmer

Paleolithic evidence
 Biological evidence

Ostrich (Africa)

Emu
(Australia)

Rhea (South America)

Geological evidence
 Paleoclimatic evidence

Activities 7 and 8 page 11

3.1 Seismic and volcanic belts
Earthquakes and volcanoes are located in narrow bands, called seismic belts. They
coincide with the plate boundaries.
3.2 Lithospheric plates
Lithospheric or tectonic plates are fragments of the lithosphere.

Oceanic  Nazca Plate

Types: Continental  Arabian Plate

Mixed  African Plate

 http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/averroes/manuales/tectonica_anima
da/tect_swf_files/01[1].swf

3.3 Types of plate boundaries

 Divergent boundaries (constructive) .
New ocean lithosphere is created

Volcanoes + earthquakes

Pillow lavas
  Convergent boundaries (destructive) .
A) Two OCEANIC PLATES collide

Volcanoes + earthquakes

One of the plates slides down the other (subduction),

forming an oceanic trench and an arch of volcanic
islands.

Example: Japan
The Pacific Plate subducts forming the Mariana Islands and Philippines
Mariana Islands
and Mariana Trench

Japan
B) One CONTINENTAL and one OCEANIC PLATE collide
.
Volcanoes + earthquakes

Example: Andes

The oceanic plate, which is denser, subducts under

the continental plate forming an oceanic trench and
a mountain range.
 B) TWO CONTINENTAL PLATES collide

Earthquakes

None of the plates subducts. A mountain range is formed.

Ex: Himalayas, Pirenees

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjMhUGsF_Nw

 Transform boundaries (passive)

Two plates slide horizontally against each other. These fractures

are called transform faults. (fallas transformantes)

Earthquakes

Example: San Andreas Fault in

California
Pacific Plate
Northamerican Plate
BENIOFF ZONE = area of seismic activity in a subducting plate
Complete:

Type of Type of Ocean floor Landform Activity

boundary movement produced produced
Divergent Separation Creates Oceanic ridges Earthquakes
and volcanoes
Convergent Collision Destroys Trenches, Earthquakes
island archs, and volcanoes
volcanic (except continental
collision)
mountains,
Transform Lateral None transform ONLY
faults earthquakes

Activity 5 page 22
The lithosphere is divided into blocks
called plates.

Most of the internal geological activity

happens at their boundaries.

Ocean floor is:

generated along the ridges  new oceans

are created

destroyed by subduction in the trenches

 mountain ranges are lifted up

Activities 13, 16 page 17

 4.1 The ocean floor

Landforms:
Trenches  narrow, deep channels.
Mid-ocean ridge  volcanic mountain
They appear as a consequence of
range under water
subduction

Faults = perpendicular
fractures which cross
the ridge

Rift = central channel

 Composition of the ocean floor
 Volcanic rocks (basalt) covered in marine sediment
 No older than 180 million years

(submerged)
 basalt

age age
4.2 Sea floor spreading

We can find
symmetrical bands
Magma rises up This magma pushes
of ocean floor
from the mantle at out the older lava
(different ages)
the oceanic ridges deposits
parallel to the axis of
the ridge
 The ocean floor
spreads and
extends

oceanic lithosphere oceanic lithosphere

is formed at the is destroyed at the
ridges trenches
5.1 Wilson cycle
A. Rift Valley Stage

Magma rises up through fractures making the lithosphere

thinner and lower.

(Drawing 1 and 2 book)

B. Red Sea Stage

Deep lakes are formed at the bottom of the valley,

which spreads and spreads.

(Drawing 3 book)
 C. Atlantic Ocean Stage
New oceanic lithosphere is being
produced aund the Atlantic Ocean
is expanding.

(Drawing 4 book)
 D. Pacific Ocean Stage
The oceanic lithosphere becomes older
and denser. Subduction zones appear,
where the lithosphere is destroyed.
The Pacific Ocean is getting smaller.

(Drawing 5 and 6 book)

 E. Indian Continent Stage

The ocean closes as the continents converge.

Marine sediments are trapped and continental
masses join together. A mountain range is formed.

(Drawing 7 and 8 book)

Activities 20, 21, 23 and 24 page 21

5.2 How plates move

Convection currents inside the mantle`

push the plates.

Hot currents not only rise up through

the ridge, but also through hot spots
(puntos calientes).

Gravity pulls down on both sides of the lithosphere.

The sinking plate pulls down (slab pull)

Slab pull force occurs when a denser oceanic plate is forced beneath
a less dense continental plate or oceanic plate in a process called subduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LBjaoQe3EE  Wilson Cycle video

Hot spots
Read page 20: 5.3
Development of basic competences: 1, 2, 3 and 4

 seismic discontinuity
 continental drift
 seismic belt
 hypocentre
 seismograph

Review: Continental Drift Video