Chapter 14.3: The Theory of Plate Tectonics

Chapter 14 Lesson 3: The Theory of Plate Tectonics – p510-519 - page1

Vocabulary

Plate tectonics (511) – Earth’s surface is made of rigid slabs of rock, or plates, that move with respect to each other

Lithosphere (512) – the cold and rigid outermost rock layer

Divergent plate boundary (513) – forms where two plates separate

Transform plate boundary (513) – Forms where two plates slide past each other

Convergent Plate Boundary (513) – form where two plates collide

Subduction (513) – A process in which the denser plate sinks below the more buoyant plate

Convection (516) – the circulation of material caused by differences in temperature

Ridge Push (517) – the forces that causes rising mantle material at mid-ocean ridges that creates the potential for plates to move away from the ridges

Slab Pull (517) – As a slab sinks, it pulls on the rest of the plate with this force The Plate Tectonic Theory

Earth’s crust is constantly being __________________ and destroyed

The ______________________ of plate tectonics states that Earth’s surface is made of rigid slabs of rock, or plates, that move with respect to each other

Each plate moves over Earth’s hot and ______________________________ mantle o The term _________________________ describes the forces that shape Earth’s

surface and the resulting rock structures o Plate tectonics is used to explain ______________________and volcanic eruptions

Tectonic Plates

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Tectonic Plates

The Pacific Plate is the ______________________ plate

The Juan de Fuca is one of the ________________________

The boundaries that run through oceans mark the positions of the ____________________________ ridges

Earth’s outermost layers are cold and rigid compared to the layers in Earth’s interior. It is called the__________________________________________.

o It is made up of the crust and the solid, uppermost _______________________. o It is ____________ below ocean ridges and __________________ below continents o The tectonic plates are just large pieces of the ________________________.

Just ___________________ the lithosphere is called the asthenosphere. o This layer is so hot that it behaves like a _____________________ material o This enables to lithosphere to ___________________

Plate Boundaries

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Divergent Plate Boundaries

Mid-ocean ridges are located along _______________________ plate boundaries.

A divergent plate boundary forms where two plates __________________

When the seafloor spreads at a mid-ocean ridge, lava erupts, cools, and forms new __________________ crust.

Divergent plate boundaries can also exist in the ______________________of a continent o They pull continents apart and form rift ______________________ o The East African Rift is an example.

Transform Plate Boundaries

A transform plate boundary forms where two plates _________________past each other. o The San Andrews Fault in California is a well known example. o As the plates move past each other, they can get stuck and _____________moving, o ________________________builds up where the plates are stuck. o Eventually the stress is too great and the rocks _________________ o The resulting rapid energy release is an________________________.

San Andreas Fault

Convergent Plant Boundaries

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Convergent plate boundaries form where two plates ______________________

The ________________________ plate sinks below the more buoyant plate in a process called subduction

o The area where a denser plate descends into Earth is called a ________________________ zone.

When an oceanic plate and continental plate collide the denser oceanic plate subducts under the edge of the _______________________.

o This creates a deep ocean trench o A line of ______________________ forms above the subducting plate on the edge

of the continent

This process can also happen with two oceanic plates. o Typically the older, denser plate will subduct beneath the _____________________

plate. o This creates a deep ocean trench and a line of volcanoes called an ______________

arc

When two continental plates collide, neither plate is subducted. o Instead rock is uplifted and create mountains like the Himalayas

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Evidence for Plate Tectonics

Continents move apart or come together at speeds of a few _______________ per years

Today scientists use a network of ______________________ called the Global Positioning System (GPS) to measure the movement of the plates

The theory of plate tectonics explains why earthquakes and volcanoes occur in certain ___________________.

All types of plate boundaries can result in _________________________ due to the rapid release of energy

Diverging and _______________________ plates result in volcanoes

__________________________ form when two continental plates converge

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Plate Motion

Convection Currents o Convection is the ________________________of material caused by differences in

temperature and density For example, the upstairs floors of most houses often warmer than the

lower floor This is because warm air ________________ while denser, cold air sinks.

Tectonic plate activity is related to convection in the__________________ . o ________________________________ elements heat Earth’s interior. o When materials such as solid rock are heated, they expand and become less

______________. o Hot mantle material rises upward and comes in contact with Earth’s ____________. o Thermal energy is _________________________ to the surface o As the mantle__________________ , it becomes denser and then sinks, forming a

convection current

These currents in the ____________________________ act like a conveyor belt moving the lithosphere.

Forces causing plate motion

o Scientists are still _______________ about which force has the greatest influence. Basal Drag

o This is when convection currents in the asthenosphere move or drag the _______________________ much like how walking sidewalks at the airport move people.

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Ridge Push o Recall that mid-ocean ridges have greater _____________________ than the

surrounding seafloor. o Because they are higher, ___________________ pulls the surrounding rock down

and away from the ridge o Rising mantle material at mid-ocean ridges creates the _____________________

for plates to move away from the ridge with a force called ridge push. This moves the lithosphere _______________ from the mid-ocean ridge.

Slab Pull o When plates converge, the _________________ plate will sink into the mantel

along a subduction zone o This plate is called a____________________. It is usually old and cold which makes

it denser. o As a slab sinks, it ____________ on the rest of the plate with a force called slab pull.

A Theory in Progress

Plate tectonics has become the ________________________ theory of geology

It explains the connection between continental drift and the __________________ and destruction of crust along plate boundaries.

o `It also helps to explain the occurrence of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains Unanswered Questions

Several questions remain unanswered: o Why is Earth the only ______________ in the solar system that has plate tectonic

activity? o Why do some earthquakes and volcanoes occur far away from plate boundaries?

Part of the answer has to do with plate thickness. The other part is the scientists are still learning how active the mantle really is.

o What forces _________________________ plate motion?