Plate Boundaries, Tectonic Plates & Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics. Egat Lominded & Bronte Gilson.

What is Tectonic Plates and Plate Tectonics

• Tectonic Plates - Giant jigsaw-like pieces of the Earth's crust. The plates float on the Earth's mantle and are constantly moving at a very slow rate.

• Plate Tectonics - A theory explaining the structure of the earth’s crust that describes the large scale motion of Earths lithosphere.

Different types of Plate Boundaries

Conservative Plate Boundaries

• Conservative margins are also known as transform faults. Transform faults are mainly found on the ocean floor, where they offset mid ocean ridges and enable to ocean to spread at different rates. It was through the work of John Tuzo Wilson that these faults were recognised as the connection between the ocean ridges (divergent margins) and ocean trenches (convergent margins).

Destructive Plate Boundaries

• A destructive plate boundary happens where an oceanic and continental plate move towards each other. The heavier, more dense oceanic plate is forced under the continental plate. As it sinks below the continental plate the oceanic plate melts due to friction in the subduction zone. The crust becomes molten called magma. This may be forced to the surface of the earth causing a volcanic eruption. The movement of the oceanic plate is not smooth. Due to friction the plate gets stuck. Pressure then builds up. The plate will eventually slip sometimes causing an earthquake.

Constructive Plate Boundaries

• A constructive plate boundary happens where plates move apart. Most of these plate margins are under the oceans. As the plates move apart magma rises from the mantle to the earth's surface. the rising magma forms shield volcanoes. Constructive plate margins occur where plates move apart. Examples include

the South American Plate and African Plate and the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate. Iceland was formed as the

result of seafloor spreading in the North Atlantic.

Other Facts

OTHER FACTS• What the earlier scientists did not have was knowledge of

plate tectonics. the earths crust and the rigid lithosphere is broken into huge pieces called tectonic plates.

• The tectonic plates supports the continents and oceans, but they are constantly moving. the float on the oozing, liquid mantle below - moving just a few centimetres each year.

• scientists now know that much of the change on earths crust is caused by the movement of the plates in the lithosphere.

Youtube Clip

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcPghqnnTVk

Plate Tectonics (Educational Parody of Whistle by Flo Rida)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhxjAAnwNKM

QUIZ

What Is Tectonic Plates Like?

a. Chocolate Bar b. an Orange

c. Jigsaw Puzzle d. a keyboard

What Is Tectonic Plates Like?

a. Chocolate Bar b. an Orange

c. Jigsaw Puzzle d. a keyboard

What Is A Plate Tectonic like?

a . Expanding the earths crust.

b. the movement of a destructive plate boundary

What Is A Plate Tectonic like?

a . Expanding the earths crust.

b. the movement of a destructive plate boundary

Conservative margins are also known as…

a. transform faults. b. destructive plate boundary

c. ocean floor d.John Tuzo Wilson

Conservative margins are also known as…

a. transform faults. b. destructive plate boundary

c. ocean floor d.John Tuzo Wilson

The movement of the oceanic plate is

smooth.

The movement of the oceanic plate is

smooth.

What are the layers of the earth from outside to inside?

a. MantalCrust interlayer outer layer

!b.

Crust Outer layerInterlayer Mantal

!!

c. Crust Mantalouter layer

interlayer

What are the layers of the earth from outside to inside?

a. MantalCrust interlayer outer layer

!b.

Crust Outer layerInterlayer Mantal

!!

c. Crust Mantalouter layer

interlayer

• http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/constructive.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divergent_boundary

• http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_constructive_plate_boundary

• http://www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/geography/tectonics/revise-it/plate-boundaries

• http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_destructive_plate_boundary

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/natural_hazards/tectonic_plates_rev4.shtml

• http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/destructive.html

• https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap3-Plate-Margins/Conservative

• http://www.slideshare.net/cheergalsal/conservative-passive-plate-boundaries

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/geography/physical_processes/plate_tectonics/revision/3/

• http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/AQA/Restless%20Earth/Tectonics/Plate%20margins.htm

• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/tectonics.html

• http://www.platetectonics.com

• Amy Bauman, Ticktock, Great Britain, Crust and core, 2008

• http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/constructive.html

Bibliography