Plate Tectonics:

Earth's Plates and

Continental Drift
• Some questions we will answer today:
– How is the earth always changing?
– What forces inside the earth create and
change landforms on the surface?
– What is the theory of plate tectonics and how
does it work?
– What two theories help make up the theory of
plate tectonics?
– What is continental drift and sea floor
spreading?
– What happens when the plates crash together,
pull apart, and slide against each other?
The Earth’s Layers
CRUST - the rigid, rocky outer surface of the
Earth, composed mostly of basalt and granite.
The crust is thinner under the oceans.
MANTLE - a rocky layer located under the crust -
it is composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium,
iron, aluminum, and calcium. Convection (heat)
currents carry heat from the hot inner mantle to
the cooler outer mantle.
OUTER CORE - the molten iron-nickel layer that
surrounds the inner core.
INNER CORE - the solid iron-nickel center of the
Earth that is very hot and under great pressure.
 Land and Water
• Photographs of the earth taken from space
show clearly that it is a truly a ”watery
planet.”
• More than 70 percent of the earth’s
surface is covered by water, mainly the
salt water of oceans and seas.
 Land
•The large landmasses in the oceans are called
continents.
List the continents you remembered.
Landforms are commonly classified according to
differences in relief. The relief is the difference in
elevation between the highest and lowest points.
Another important characteristic is whether they rise
gradually or steeply.
•The major types of landforms are mountains, hills,
plateaus, and plains.
• Most people know that Earth is moving
around the Sun and that it is constantly
spinning.

• But did YOU know that the continents and

oceans are moving across the surface of the
planet?

• Volcanoes and earthquakes as well as

mountain ranges and islands all are results
of this movement.

• Why is this?
 Plate Tectonic Theory
About forty years ago, scientists exploring the seafloor found that it is full of tall
mountains and deep trenches, a single seafloor mountain chain circles Earth and
contains some of Earth’s tallest mountains. Along this mountain chain is a deep
crack in the top layers of earth. Here the seafloor is pulling apart and the two
parts are moving in opposite directions, carrying along the continents and oceans
that rest on top of them. These pieces of Earth’s top layer are called tectonic
plates. They are moving very slowly, but constantly. Currently Earth’s surface
layers are divided into nine very large plates and several smaller ones.
 REVIEW

–How is the earth always

changing?
–What is the theory of plate
tectonics and how does it
work?
To really understand how the earth became to look as it
does today, and the theory of plate tectonics, you also
need to become familiar with two other ideas:

Continental Drift

and

Seafloor Spreading.
Less than 100 years ago, many
scientists thought the continents
always had been the same shape and
in the same place.

Some also noted that, with a little

imagination, all the continents could
be joined together like giant puzzle
pieces to create one large continent
surrounded by one huge ocean.
So, if my continents fit together,
why does the earth look like it
does today?
 Continental Drift Theory
• When the tectonic plates under the continents
and oceans move, they carry the continents
and oceans with them.

• In the early 1900s a German explorer

and scientist proposed the continental
drift theory. He proposed that there was
once a ingle “supercontinent” called
Pangaea.
• Wegner’s theory was that about 180 million years
ago, Pangaea began to break up into separate
continents. To back this theory up, he perserved
remains and evidence from ancient animals and
plants from South America, Africa, India, and
Australia that were almost identical.
 Seafloor Spreading
• The other theory supporting plate tectonics
emerged from the study of the ocean floor.
• Scientists were suprised to find that rocks taken
from the ocean floor were much younger than
those found on the continents. The youngest
rocks were those nearest the underwater ridge
system which is a series of mountains that
extend around the world, stretching more than
64 thousand kilometers (40 thousand miles).
• The theory of seafloor spreading suggests that
molten rock (think of a melted chocolate bar that
has been left in your pocket for too long)... This hot
substance (lava) from the mantle rises under the
underwater ridge and breaks through a split at the
top of the ridge (the crust... Remember, the plate).
The split is called a rift valley. The rock then
spreads out in both directions from the ridge as if it
were on two huge conveyor belts. As the seafloor
moves away from the ridge, it carries older rocks
away. Seafloor spreading, along with the
continental drift theory, became part of the theory of
plate tectonics.
 REVIEW
–What two theories help make
up the theory of plate
tectonics?
–What is continental drift and
sea floor spreading?
 So....
• When a geologist or a geographer
looks at a piece of land they often
ask, ”What forces shaped the
mountains, plains, and other
landforms that are here?”
• What is their answer?
• As mentioned earlier, those
tectonic plates are always
moving. They are always moving:
– pulling away from each other
– crashing head-on
– or sliding past each other.
Depending on which way these plates are
moving will decide what is happening on the
earth you and I are standing on.
 They’re Pulling Apart!
• When plates pull away from
one another they form a
diverging plate boundary, or
spreading zone.

Thingvellir, the spreading zone in Iceland between the North American (left
side) and Eurasian (right side) tectonic plates. January 2003.
 The Crash!
• What happens when plates crash
into each other depends on the
types of plates involved.
– Because continental crust is lighter
than oceanic crust, continental plates
”float” higher.
– Therefore, when an oceanic plate
meets a continetnal plate, it slides
under the lighter plate and down into
the mantle. The slab of oceanic rock
melts when the edges get to a depth
which is hot enough. A temperature
hot enough to melt is about a
thousand degrees! This process is
called subduction. Molten material
produced in a subduction zone can
rise to the earth’s surface and cause
volcanic building, mountains, and
islands.
 Converging... They crash!
• When two plates of the same type meet, the
result is a process called converging.
• When both are oceanic plates, one slides
under the other. Often an island group forms
at this boundary.
• When both are continental plates, the plates
push against each other, creating mountain
ranges.
 They meet and slide past each
other!

• Sometimes, instead of pulling away from each

other or colliding with each other, plates slip
or grind past each other along faults. This
process is known as faulting.
• These areas are likely
to have a rift valley,
earthquake, and
volcanic action.

For example: Here, the San

Andreas Fault lies on the
boundary between two tectonic
plates, the north American Plate
and the Pacific Plate. The two
plates are sliding past each
other at a rate of 5 to 6
centimeters each year. This fault
frequently plagues California
with earthquakes.
 REVIEW
–What forces inside the earth
create and change landforms on
the surface?
–What happens when the plates
crash together, pull apart, and
slide against each other?
 ½ CROSSWISE PAPER
1. How is the earth always changing?
2. What forces inside the earth create and change
landforms on the surface?
3. What is the theory of plate tectonics and how does
it work?
4. What two theories help make up the theory of plate
tectonics?
5. What is continental drift and sea floor spreading?
6. What happens when the plates crash together, pull
apart, and slide against each other?
7-10. Give the 4 layers of the earth.
 GROUP ACTIVITY (next meeting)
• Choose an activity. All work is expected to be in
a final form and of very high quality. Make sure
the essential questions are answered.
A. Write poems and/or sing songs/dance about plate
tectonics and perform it in class. (Physical Activity)
B. Write and present a paper that would discuss what the
earth would be like if we didn’t have plate tectonics.
(3 paragraphs). (Writing)
C. Create a collage of plate tectonic topics.
Include a 1-2 paragraph explanation. (Arts)
D. Do an interview of a famous scientist. (Role-play)