Plate Tectonics

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Plate Tectonics
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The theory that continents were once a connected
supercontinent called Pangea but have drifted
apart.
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Alfred Wegener (a German Scientist from the
early 1900s) Noticed that some of the
continents seems to fit like pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle. Wegener named this
supercontinent Pangea
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Wegener developed the Continental Drift Theory
http//www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/
content/visualizations/es0806/es0806page01.cfm

• Evidence that supported Wagner's Theory
• Landforms
• Fossils
• Climate

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Evidence through Landforms
Matching mountain ranges across oceans
300 million years ago
Today
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Evidence through Fossils
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Harry Hess (An American Geologist)
Later in the 1960s, Hess used technology radar
to discover that the seafloor has both trenches
and mid-ocean ridges.
Harry Hess developed the sea-floor spreading
theory
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At mid-ocean ridges, new oceanic crust is formed
through volcanic activity and then gradually
moves away from the ridge.
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Both Hesss discovery and Wegners continental
drift theory support the Plate Tectonic Theory.
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Earths lithosphere is divided into thick
tectonic plates. The major tectonic
plates are

1. Pacific plate
2. North American plate
3. South American plate
4. Eurasian plate
5. African plate
6. Indo-Australian plate
7. Antarctic plate

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Antarctic Plate
A tectonic plate division of the lithosphere,
including the continental crust of Antarctica and
the surrounding oceanic crust.
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Pieces of the lithospheric plates float slowly on
Earths soft, underlying asthenosphere.
Each tectonic plate consists of more dense
oceanic material and less dense continental
material.
The plates move very, very slowlyonly a few
centimeters per year! (Thats about as fast as
your fingernails grow!)
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Landforms and Earth events are caused by Plate
Tectonics are used to locate and classify plate
boundaries.
Some of these notable landforms and events
include Volcanic eruptions Earthquakes Mountain
Range Seafloor Spreading
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Volcanoes
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Earthquakes
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Mountain Chains
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Seafloor Spreading
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Identifying Plates
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You are going to color the MAJOR plates of the
world

• Remember, the world is round and the maps are
  not! Pay careful attention to the plates that
  wrap around the earth!
• Major Plates to Color
• Pacific Plate
• North American Plate
• South American Plate
• African Plate
• Indo-Australian Plate
• Eurasian Plate
• Antarctic Plate

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Color the same plates the same colors you did on
the last sheet

• Example If you colored the Pacific Plate pink on
  the Plate Boundaries sheet, make it pink on
  EVERY SHEET you get today.
• Pay careful attention to what youre coloring.
  You are ONLY COLORING THE MAJOR PLATES!

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Here is the final order of pages

• Stacking these pages from the top to bottom
• 1. 3. 5.
• 2. 4.

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Definition
Picture

• _____________________
• (a German Scientist from the early 1900s)
• Noticed that some of the continents seems to fit
  like pieces of a ________________.
• Wegener named this supercontinent __________

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• Later in the 1960s, ________________used
  _________________ ______________to discover
  that the seafloor has both ________________
  ________________.

• ____________ developed the
• ____________________________

• Harry Hess developed the _________________________
  _________.

• Evidence that
• supported
• Wagner's Theory
• _____________
• _____________
• _____________

Fossils

• At _________________________________________,
• new ___________________is formed through
  _____________
• activity and then gradually moves away from the
  ridge.

• Both Hesss discovery and Wegners continental
  drift theory support the _________________________
  ___

Mountain Ranges
300 million years ago
Today
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Definition
Picture

• Earths lithosphere is divided into thick
• ______________________________

• The major tectonic plates are

1.___________________________ 2.__________________
_________ 3.___________________________ 4.________
___________________ 5.___________________________
6.___________________________ 7.__________________
_________
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Definition
Definition
Picture
Picture
Definition
Definition
Picture
Picture
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Definition
Picture
Definition
Picture
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Definition
Picture
Picture
Definition

• Pieces of the _____________ plates
  _________slowly on Earths soft, underlying
  _______________________.

Pacific plate North American plate South
American plate Eurasian plate
African plate Indo-Australian plate Antarctic
plate

• Each ____________________________ consists of
  more _________ ___________ material and
  _____________ _____________ material.

• ____________ and Earth events are caused by Plate
  Tectonics are used to locate and classify plate
  _____________.

Some of these notable landforms and events
include
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Identify all of the 7 Plates.
Identify all of the 7 Plates.

• Answer the following
• Which layer causes Plate Tectonics?
• 2. What is happening in this layer to cause this
  movement?
• Which layer of the Earth is broken into huge
  moving sections that contains the upper mantle,
  oceanic and continental crusts?
• Who noticed that some of the continents seems to
  fit like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle?
• What did he named the supercontinent?
• Describe the Seafloor Spreading Theory that Harry
  Hess developed.

• Answer the following
• Which layer causes Plate Tectonics?
• 2. What is happening in this layer to cause this
  movement?
• Which layer of the Earth is broken into huge
  moving sections that contains the upper mantle,
  oceanic and continental crusts?
• Who noticed that some of the continents seems to
  fit like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle?
• What did he named the supercontinent?
• Describe the Seafloor Spreading Theory that
  Harry Hess developed.

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• Lithospheric Plates Questions
• List the seven major plates.
• List seven minor plates
• Which plate contains most of the United States?
• What part of the United States is NOT on that
  plate?

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________
5. ______________
6. ______________

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________
5. ______________
6. ______________
7. ______________
8. ______________

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________

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Major Plates Minor Plates







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• Puzzling Plate Tectonics
• Cut apart the puzzle pieces on both pages,
  discarding the excess paper.
• Arrange the puzzle pieces, creating a map of
  present-day Earth. The puzzle pieces represent
  the parts of Earths crust called plates.
• Label and color each plate with the appropriate
  name and color
• North American Plate home to Canada, the United
  States, and Mexico. Color the entire
• plate yellow.
• Pacific Plate this plate consists mostly of
  crust under the ocean just west of the United
  States, with a small section of continental
  crust. Color this entire plate light blue.
• South American Plate home to South America and
  the Amazon Rain Forest. Color the entire plate
  orange.
• Eurasian Plate a large plate at the boundary of
  the Pacific Ocean, containing Europe and Russia.
  Color the entire plate purple.
• African Plate home to Africa at the boundary of
  the Indo-Australian Plate. Color the entire plate
  pink.
• Nazca Plate a small plate that consists mostly
  of the Pacific Ocean on the western boundary of
  the South American Plate. Color the entire plate
  brown.
• Antarctic Plate home to Antarctica. Color the
  entire plate red.
• Indo-Australian Plate home to Australian and
  the Indian Ocean. Color the entire plate green.
• 5. Glue the completed puzzle into your
  science notebook. Use the map below to ensure you
  put the puzzle pieces in the correct location.

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North American Plate Pacific Plate South American
Plate Eurasian Plate African Plate Nazca
Plate Antarctic Plate Indo-Australian Plate
North American Plate Pacific Plate South American
Plate Eurasian Plate African Plate Nazca
Plate Antarctic Plate Indo-Australian Plate
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• Lithospheric Plates Questions
• List the seven major plates.
• List seven minor plates
• Which plate contains most of the United States?
• What part of the United States is NOT on that
  plate?

• Lithospheric Plates Questions
• List the seven major plates.
• List seven minor plates
• Which plate contains most of the United States?
• What part of the United States is NOT on that
  plate?

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________
5. ______________
6. ______________

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________
5. ______________
6. ______________

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________
5. ______________
6. ______________
7. ______________
8. ______________

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________
5. ______________
6. ______________
7. ______________
8. ______________

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________

1. ______________
2. ______________
3. ______________
4. ______________

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Major Plates Minor Plates







Major Plates Minor Plates