SCIENCE 10

PLATE TECTONICS

Lesson 1: THE LITHOSPERE

What is Lithosphere?
• It is the outer rigid part of the earth.
• It consists of layers, the crust and the upper part of the mantle.
• CRUST
• The outermost layer of the lithosphere.
• Made of a variety of solid rocks like sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous.
• It has an average density of 2.8 g/cm3 and its thickness ranges from 5 to 50
km.
• CONTINENTAL CRUST – thickness is mostly 35-40 km, made of less dense
rocks such as granite.
• OCEANIC CRUST – average thickness is 8 km, found under the ocean floor
and denser than continental crust, mostly made of basalt.
• MANTLE
• Extends to about 2900 km from the Earth’s surface.
• It makes up about 80% of the Earth’s total volume and about 68% of its total
mass.
• The lithosphere is said to be in constant but very slow motion. These options are not the
same everywhere. This movement of the lithosphere is called tectonics.
• According to the plate tectonics model, the entire lithosphere of the Earth is broken into
numerous segments called plates.
• MAJOR PLATES – Eurasian Plate, Pacific Plate, North American Plate, South American
Plate, Antarctic Plate, African Plate, Australian Plate
• MINOR PLATES – Philippine Plate, Juan de Fuca Plate, Cocos Plate, Nazca Plate,
Caribbean Plate, Scotia Plate, Arabian Plate, Indian Plate

Lesson 2: SEISMIC WAVES

What are Seismic Waves?
• waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion
• energy that travels through the earth
• BODY WAVE – can travel through the earth
• P-WAVE (Primary wave)
• travels quickly through the Earth and through liquids
• travel faster than S-wave
• force the ground to move backward and forward as they compressed
and expanded
• travel through solids, liquids and gases
• S-WAVE (Secondary wave)
• travels slower than P-wave through the Earth and solids
• move as shear or transverse wave, and force the ground to sway from
side to side, in rolling motion that shakes the ground back and forth
perpendicular to the direction of the waves
 • SURFACE WAVE – can only travel through the surface of the earth
• RAYLEIGH WAVE
• John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh
• rolls along the ground
• most of the shaking felt from an earthquake is due to this wave
• LOVE WAVE
• A.E. H Love
• faster than Rayleigh wave and it moves the ground in a side-to-side
horizontal motion
• causes the most damage to the structure during an earthquake

Lesson 3: LOCATING EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER

What is an Earthquake?
• produced when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one other
• HYPOCENTER – also known as the focus, the location below the earth’s surface where the
earthquake starts
• EPICENTER – the location directly above it on the surface of the earth
• PHIVOLCS – Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology
• NDRRMC – National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council
• SEISMOGRAPH/SEISMOMETER – instrument used to detect seismic waves
• SEISMOGRAM – a collected record of seismic waves
• HARMONIC TREMOR – a constant earthquake waves that are recorded but not felt

How to locate earthquake epicenter?

• TRIANGULATION METHOD – a process that uses distance information from at least three
seismic stations to locate the earthquake epicenter. On a map, circles are drawn around
each station. The radii of the circles are scaled to the estimated distance from the location
of the earthquake. The three circles will intersect at one point that locates the earthquake.
1. Get data from at least three different seismic stations.
2. Find the difference in arrival time between P-wave and S-wave.
3. At a station, we can draw a circle on a map that has a radius equal to the distance
to the epicenter from the seismic station.
4. The three circles will intersect in a point that locates the epicenter of the
earthquake.

Lesson 4: ACTIVE VOLCANOES

What is a VOLCANO?
• A mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock
fragments, hot vapor and gas is being or have been erupted from the earth's crust.
• According to PHIVOLCS there are 24 active volcanoes in the country and that includes our
very own volcano in our province, the Mt. Kanlaon.
• About 500 of those 1,500 volcanoes have erupted in historical time. Many of those are
located along the Pacific Rim in what is known as the "Ring of Fire."
• PACIFIC RING OF FIRE
• also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean
characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
• Its length is approximately 40,000 kilometers (24,900 mi)
• It traces boundaries between several tectonic plates—including the Pacific, Juan de
Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates.
Lesson 5: MOUNTAIN RANGES
MOUNTAIN RANGE
• a series or chain of mountains that are close together.
• According to National Geographic, mountains often serve as geographic features that
define natural borders of countries. Their height can influence weather patterns, stalling
storms that roll off the oceans and squeezing water from the clouds. The other side is often
much drier. The rugged landscapes even provide refuge—and protection—for fleeing and
invading armies.

Lesson 6: EARTHQUAKE, VOLCANIC AND MOUNTAIN RANGE

DISTRIBUTION

GENERAL INSTRUCTION: Answer the activities below in a ONE-WHOLE sheet of paper. Write the
answers only. 30 points.

ACTIVITY #1 (15 points)

Direction: Examine the map below and answer the questions that follow.

1. How are earthquakes distributed on the map? Where are they situated?
2. Name the country/ies where earthquakes may not happen. Why are there no earthquakes
on the country/ies you mentioned?
3. How are volcanoes distributed? Where are they situated?
4. Based on the map, which country/ies will unlikely experience a volcanic eruption?
5. How are mountain ranges distributed and where are they located?
6. How will you relate the distribution of mountain ranges with the distribution of earthquake
epicenters and volcanoes?
7. What do you think is the basis of scientists in dividing Earth’s lithosphere into several
plates?
 ACTIVITY #2 (15 points)
Since the Philippines is one of the country that is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, we are quite
prone to some geologic events such as earthquake or volcanic eruptions. That is why, we must
be prepared when this events happen.

Direction: Copy and complete the table below by identifying the harmful effects caused by the
given geologic events and give precautionary measures to be practiced in line with these
events. Give at least two answers per box. Answer the questions that follow.

Precautionary measures
Geologic event Harmful effects
Before During After
Earthquake
Landslide
Tsunami
Volcanic
Eruption

1. Why is it important for us to know these precautionary measures?

2. How do these events and their effects affect our lives?

NOTE: These activities will be recorded as your FIRST PERFORMANCE TASK. Submission will
be on MONDAY. Late submission will automatically have a deduction of 5 points per day.
FIRST SUMMATIVE TEST will follow right after the first meeting next week. Please study the
lessons given above. Doing research and studying more about the topics would be great. Good
luck and God bless!

Prepared by: SHEENA MAE R. LOBATON

Teacher I