A REPORT ON

TECTONIC PLATES

Submitted by:Sutapa GhoshClass IX ‘A’D.A.V. Public School Bistupur, Jamshedpur

I W O U L D L I K E T O E X P R E S S M Y S P E C I A L T H A N K S O F G R A T I T U D E T O M Y T E A C H E R M R S . N I L O F E R M A N W H O G A V E M E T H E G O L D E N O P P O R T U N I T Y T O D O T H I S W O N D E R F U L P R O J E C T O N “ T E C T O N I C

P L A T E S " , W H I C H A L S O H E L P E D M E I N D O I N G A L O T O F R E S E A R C H A N D I C A M E T O K N O W A B O U T S O M A N Y N E W T H I N G S .

I A M R E A L LY T H A N K F U L T O T H E M .S E C O N D LY I W O U L D A L S O L I K E T O T H A N K M Y B R O T H E R , P A R E N T S A N D F R I E N D S W H O H E L P E D M E A L O T I N F I N I S H I N G T H I S P R O J E C T

W I T H I N T H E L I M I T E D T I M E .

I A M M A K I N G T H I S P R O J E C T N O T O N LY F O R M A R K S B U T T O A L S O I N C R E A S E M Y K N O W L E D G E .

T H A N K S A G A I N T O A L L W H O H E L P E D M E .

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

WHAT IS A TECTONIC PLATE?

A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a

massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally

composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere. Plate

size can vary greatly, from a few hundred to thousands of

kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic Plates are among

the largest. Plate thickness also varies greatly, ranging from

less than 15 km for young oceanic lithosphere to about 200

km or more for ancient continental lithosphere (for example,

the interior parts of North and South America).

The Main Features Of

Plate Tectonics Are:

The Earth's surface is covered by a series of crustal plates. The ocean floors are continually moving, spreading from the

center, sinking at the edges, and being regenerated. Convection currents beneath the plates move the crustal plates

in different directions The source of heat driving the convention currents is

radioctivity deep in the mantle.

TECTONIC PLATES

The Movement of the Plates Creates Three Types of Tectonic Boundaries: Convergent

Boundaries Divergent Boundaries Transform

Boundaries

T H E S E C O N V E R G E N T B O U N D A R I E S A L S O O C C U R W H E R E A P L A T E O F O C E A N D I V E S , I N A P R O C E S S

C A L L E D   S U B D U C T I O N , U N D E R A L A N D M A S S . A S T H E O V E R LY I N G P L A T E L I F T S U P, I T A L S O F O R M S

M O U N T A I N R A N G E S . I N A D D I T I O N , T H E D I V I N G P L A T E M E LT S A N D I S O F T E N S P E W E D O U T I N V O L C A N I C

E R U P T I O N S S U C H A S T H O S E T H A T F O R M E D S O M E O F T H E M O U N T A I N S I N T H E A N D E S O F S O U T H A M E R I C A .

Convergent plates

A T D I V E R G E N T B O U N D A R I E S I N T H E O C E A N S , M A G M A F R O M D E E P I N T H E E A R T H ' S M A N T L E R I S E S T O W A R D T H E

S U R F A C E A N D P U S H E S A P A R T T W O O R M O R E P L A T E S . M O U N T A I N S A N D V O L C A N O E S R I S E A L O N G T H E S E A M .

T H E P R O C E S S R E N E W S T H E O C E A N F L O O R A N D W I D E N S T H E G I A N T B A S I N S . A S I N G L E M I D - O C E A N R I D G E

S Y S T E M C O N N E C T S T H E W O R L D ' S O C E A N S , M A K I N G T H E R I D G E T H E L O N G E S T M O U N T A I N R A N G E I N T H E W O R L D .

Divergent Plates

T H E S A N A N D R E A S FA U LT I N C A L I F O R N I A I S A N E X A M P L E O F A T R A N S F O R M B O U N D A R Y, W H E R E T W O P L A T E S G R I N D P A S T E A C H O T H E R A L O N G W H A T A R E C A L L E D S T R I K E - S L I P FA U LT S . T H E S E B O U N D A R I E S

D O N ' T P R O D U C E S P E C T A C U L A R F E A T U R E S L I K E M O U N T A I N S O R O C E A N S , B U T T H E H A LT I N G M O T I O N

O F T E N T R I G G E R S L A R G E E A R T H Q U A K E S , S U C H A S T H E 1 9 0 6 O N E T H A T D E V A S T A T E D S A N F R A N C I S C O .

Transform Plates

BIBLIOGRA

PHY W W W. G O O G L E . C O M

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