Presently indian plate is a separated system because it has still a big granite root under the mountains. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. The theory of plate tectonics is the conceptual model through which most dynamic processes on earth are understood. The theory of plate tectonics states that the earth s outermost layer is fragmented into a dozen or more large and small plates. Like the scientists before us, we will now merge the ideas of continental drift and seafloor spreading into the theory of plate tectonics. For billions of years, earth has been remodeling itself. Ess15plate tectonicscrustal age summativeall students. Understand the different types of plate boundaries. Jan 20, 2010 oceanic plate and continental plate when a thin, dense oceanic plate collides with a relatively light, thick continental plate, the oceanic plate is forced under the continental plate. Nearly a century ago, in 1912, the german geologist alfred wegener first proposed his theory of continental drift, which states that parts of the earths crust slowly drift atop a liquid core. The theory of plate tectonics geology lumen learning. High school earth sciencetheory of plate tectonics.
Huge masses of molten rock rise from deep inside earth, cool into a solid, travel along our planets surface and then sink back down. Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of earth structures or. Key points will give you the main information you should know to teach the activity. Nearly a century ago, in 1912, the german geologist alfred wegener first proposed his theory of continental drift, which states that parts of the earths crust slowly drift atop a. Plate tectonics the earths crust is divided into 12 major plates which are moved in various directions. This week students will continue to learn about earth and its structure, specifically plate tectonics and plate boundaries. The earth s mean lead isotope composition with some assumptions for lead sources suggests that the earth is about 50120. Feb 29, 2020 like the scientists before us, we will now merge the ideas of continental drift and seafloor spreading into the theory of plate tectonics. The earth s plates jostle about in fits and starts that are punctuated with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The activities in this unit teach a basic understanding of plate tectonics and the way in which observations of earths past have provided evidence in support of the theory of plate tectonics.
The driving force behind plate tectonics is mantle convection. Learn about how plates move and their impact on the earths surface. Plate tectonic science has applications to earth science studies. Subduction zones have a lot of intense earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Since plate tectonics is a recent theory, i do not expect everyone can fully grasp the resolution power of gps measurments and the possibility of identifying the many, individual, splitted plate, with the final idea of getting a detailed picture of the relative movement of plates i. Earth was significantly hotter in the distant past and has been cooling for most of its history korenaga, 2008, davies, 2009, michaut et al. Earth sciences the theory of plate tectonics britannica.
Introduction to plate tectonics discovery education. Earth at this time was constantly bombarded by meteorites as well. Learn study notes earth science plate tectonics with free interactive flashcards. Earth sciences earth sciences the theory of plate tectonics. Earth science current unit welcome to junior high remember to be successful in junior high, you must be able to budget your time coordinate all your classes and the homework required. In the last century, scientists have been able to probe the earth as never before, revealing surprising evidence that has led wide support to what is now generally known as plate tectonics. We go back in time to the oldest rocks on earth, to see how the first continents formed on our fledgling planet. The thin and solid outermost layer of the earth above the mantle. A single plate can be made of all oceanic lithosphere or all continental lithosphere, but nearly all plates are made of a combination of both. The structure of the earth, plate tectonics and landforms. Alternative conceptions of plate tectonics held by.
Plate tectonics is the theory that the earths surface lithosphere is made up of many plates that move over the earths inner mantle due to convection currents the earth is made up of 3 layers including the core, mantle and crust. Formation of the earth the now protoearth continues to grow over a span of 1020 million years until it reaches its current size. Earths crust is divided into tectonic plates of different sizes and shapes. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In the framework of plate tectonics, the surface is represented by rigid plates separated along discrete plate boundary faults 1, 2, placing the focus on the forces acting at the edge of plates ridge push, slab pull, and shear along transform faults and at their base active or passive mantle drag. Plate tectonics explains how the earths crust is continually moving, growing, sinking and being regenerated. Plate tectonics using a bathymetric map of the planet, students are introduced to the idea that midocean ridges, ocean rises, and deep ocean trenches provide clues as to the location of tectonic plates. The forming east pacific plate is too new to sink back down so it gets welded to the bottom of the continental plate, pushing it upward.
The layer of rock between the earths crust and core. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the earths. The word, tectonic, refers to the deformation of the crust as a consequence of plate interaction. This far reaching theory has become the basis for viewing most geologic processes mountain building, paleontology, volcanism, earthquakes, etc. The earths plates jostle about in fits and starts that are punctuated with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Nonplate tectonic styles were probably dominated by single lid tectonics and this evolved as earth cooled and its lithosphere. At divergent boundaries in the oceans, magma from deep in the earths mantle rises toward the surface and pushes apart two or more plates. See more ideas about plate tectonics, earth science and earth and space science.
The earth s crust is divided into plates which are moved in various directions. You must fill out one of these sheets for each video you are assigned to watch for homework during a study unit note. When the concept of seafloor spreading came along, scientists recognized that it was the mechanism to explain how continents could move around earths surface. The major co2 sources are thought to be mantle degassing at hotspot volcanoes, midocean ridges, and rifts. Before you can learn about plate tectonics, you need to know something about the layers that. We dont fully understand why the earth has plate tectonics as opposed to a stagnant lid situation like venus. They have a thick crust and deep lithospheric roots that extend as. Continental drift and plate tectonics kaiserscience. It has served as a unifying model or paradigm for explaining geologic phenomena that were formerly considered in unrelated fashion.
Plates move at a rate of a few centimeters a year, about the same rate fingernails grow. This pdfversion was edited by peter lindeberg in december 2001. It is also not obviously correct to suggest that a stagnant lid is a low temperature state, since venus internal temperature is much higher than that of the earth precisely because it has a. To learn about earths interior, scientists use energy to see the different layers of.
These grains start to merge together to form structures known as planetesimals. This was due to plate tectonics which well talk about in the next unit or movement of the earths. Examining plate tectonics goals introduce the basic principles of the plate tectonic theory. Show students how plate tectonic principles were deduced over hundreds of years, starting with european exploration of africa and the new world and advancing rapidly in the late twentieth century as new technologies were developed. The term tectonics comes from a greek word meaning to build. Plate tectonics and our national parks 2020 text and illustrations by robert j. Plate tectonics is a theory developed in the late 1960s, to explain how the outer layers of the. Oceanic plate and continental plate when a thin, dense oceanic plate collides with a relatively light, thick continental plate, the oceanic plate is forced under the continental plate. Time scales for the age of the earth we still cant directly measure the age of the earth the oldest rocks are 4 ga crustal rocks to 4. A brief introduction to alfred wegeners theory of continental drift, which would lay the groundwork for the development of plate tectonic theory, which essentially explains the geology of the.
When you click on an individual video picture below, the youtube video will load in the player window above. See more ideas about earth layers, plate tectonics and earth science. Plate tectonics is the driving force for the science field of geology. Watch this video about continental drift and the mechanism of seafloor spreading create plate tectonics. At this time the protoearth also captures its first atomsphere as well as remaining very hot, resulting in a lot of volcanic activity. Like the scientists before us, we will now merge the ideas of. Pdf for decades, plate tectonics has revolutionised the philosophy.
Choose from 500 different sets of study notes earth science plate tectonics flashcards on quizlet. Nov 29, 2012 a brief introduction to alfred wegeners theory of continental drift, which would lay the groundwork for the development of plate tectonic theory, which essentially explains the geology of the. Plate tectonics describes seismic activity, volcanism, mountain building, and. Continental collision as indian plate with eurasia one finish in a merge, but the process is slow. Reading strategy comparing and contrasting after you read, compare the three types of plate boundaries by completing the table. Produced under a cooperative agreement for earth science education between the national park service s geologic resources division and the american geosciences institute. Movement of the plates over earth s surface is termed plate tectonics. This process, called subduction, occurs at the oceanic trenches figure 6.
However, there have been periods of longer glaciations, which have been attributed to changes in the balance between co2 sources and sinks. Pdfs and attachmentstectonics earth systems science. Configuration of land and oceans has changed in the past and will continue to. Map major earthquake epicenters and locations of different types of volcanoes. The activities in this unit teach a basic understanding of plate tectonics and the way in which observations of earth s past have provided evidence in support of the theory of plate tectonics. Earth science search for this video by using the video title or a portion of it as the keyword. Like the scientists before us, we will now merge the ideas of continental drift and.
Video showing how convection cells inside the earth move tectonic plates on the earths surface. Movement of the plates over earths surface is termed plate tectonics. Earth science stephen marshak, robert m rauber the leading authors in their respective fields physical geology and extreme weather stephen marshak and robert rauber bring years of classroom and research experience to this remarkable new book and media package. The earths mean lead isotope composition with some assumptions for lead sources suggests that the. Theory of plate tectonics earth science lumen learning. Some of these plates are huge and cover entire continents. Apr 12, 2019 over the past 541 million years the phanerozoic eon, earth s climate has been relatively stable compared to preceding eons. On earth, plate tectonics plays a role in modulating climate, but the idea that plate tectonics is crucial for life is challenged by increasingly sophisticated models of planetary climates. Here it is shown that highlevel analyses of various diverse topics of earth science merge towards an alternative paradigm which draws a lot from the plate tectonic theory but still has. Learn about how plates move and their impact on the earth s surface. When oceanic crust converges with continental crust, the denser oceanic plate plunges beneath the continental plate.
Dec 20, 2019 plate a slab of the earth s lithosphere that can move around on the planets surface. This dynamic earth school of ocean and earth science and. While its forerunnerthe theory of continental drifthad its inception as early as the late 16th century, plate tectonics only emerged and matured as a widely accepted. The evidence for such an erstwhile joining of these. Earths geography has changed through time and continues to change today. The lithosphere includes the crust and upper mantle.
Since then, scientists have verified and refined this theory, and now have a much better understanding of how our planet has been shaped by platetectonic processes. Lillie, emeritus professor of geosciences, oregon state university. Tectonic plates are able to move because the earths lithosphere has. Over the past 541 million years the phanerozoic eon, earths climate has been relatively stable compared to preceding eons. Plate tectonics and the ocean floor plate tectonics. The earth is the only planet known to currently have plate tectonics. Earth continually changes to give students an overview of how earth changes and the role that plate tectonics. In the early 1960s, the emergence of the theory of plate tectonics started a revolution in the earth sciences. The lithosphere is made up of the earths crust and a part of the upper mantle. Plate tectonics and magmatism are consequences of heat loss from a planets interior. Clues to plate tectonic evolution and deep volatile cycles article pdf available in earth and planetary science letters 484. Understand plate tectonics and the effects shifting plates have on the earth. Putting these two words together, we get the term plate tectonics, which refers to how the earth s surface is built of plates.
Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of earth structures or tectonic features. It began as the controversial theory of continental drift the idea that the continents we know on earth today were not always in the positions they are in now. Once all of the earthquake and volcano data have been plotted on the map, students are encouraged to plot out the seven major tectonic plates. These relative plate movements may combine in varying degrees, depending on the overall plate.
However, the underlying forces in the mantle remain, so a new spreading center may form somewhere else. Geodynamics is the discipline of earth sciences that attempts to explain. Bbcvolcano live, iceland erupts ess21 summative assessments. Major and minor tectonic plates most of the earth is covered by seven major plates and another eight or so minor plates. The earth is made up of many layers including the core, mantle and crust. Over time, these plates shift and move due to the pressure of convection and create landforms and features unique to planet earth. It will be easy to fall behind and difficult to catch up. The grade 6 earth science unit on plate tectonics is presented to students through a series of investigations using indirect evidence models and direct evidence, experiments, active learning experiences, researching using a variety of sources, questions, and assessments. The theory of plate tectonics is a relatively new scientific concept.
An example of merged plates is iberian subplate that is presently considered eurasian plate. This plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape against each other. Earth science plate tectonics earth science 4 read and complete the passage with the reference to the appropriate picture. In this topic, you will learn about the theory of plate tectonics. Wegeners continental drift meets wilsons plate tectonics. The lithosphere moves in big chunks of land called tectonic plates. Plate tectonics information and facts national geographic. Plate tectonics has revolutionized virtually every discipline of the earth sciences since the late 1960s and early 1970s. In this topic, you will learn about the theory of plate tectonics, and the scientific evidence behind tectonic plate movement. The plate tectonics model describes features and processes on earth.