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    Plate Tectonics Theory

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    Wendelyn Sumpo
    The document discusses plate tectonics theory which proposes that the Earth's outer shell is broken into plates that slowly move over time. There are three main types of plate boundaries - divergent where plates move apart, convergent where they move together, and transform where they slide past each other. These boundaries drive volcanic activity and earthquakes as the plates interact. Key aspects of the theory include the nine major tectonic plates that make up the lithosphere and the role of convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere that cause the plates to drift over millions of years.

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    Plate Tectonics Theory

    Uploaded by

    Wendelyn Sumpo
    243 views8 pages
    The document discusses plate tectonics theory which proposes that the Earth's outer shell is broken into plates that slowly move over time. There are three main types of plate boundaries - divergent where plates move apart, convergent where they move together, and transform where they slide past each other. These boundaries drive volcanic activity and earthquakes as the plates interact. Key aspects of the theory include the nine major tectonic plates that make up the lithosphere and the role of convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere that cause the plates to drift over millions of years.

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    PLATE TECTONICS THEORY

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    The document discusses plate tectonics theory which proposes that the Earth's outer shell is broken into plates that slowly move over time. There are three main types of plate boundaries - divergent where plates move apart, convergent where they move together, and transform where they slide past each other. These boundaries drive volcanic activity and earthquakes as the plates interact. Key aspects of the theory include the nine major tectonic plates that make up the lithosphere and the role of convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere that cause the plates to drift over millions of years.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    243 views8 pages

    Plate Tectonics Theory

    Uploaded by

    Wendelyn Sumpo
    The document discusses plate tectonics theory which proposes that the Earth's outer shell is broken into plates that slowly move over time. There are three main types of plate boundaries - divergent where plates move apart, convergent where they move together, and transform where they slide past each other. These boundaries drive volcanic activity and earthquakes as the plates interact. Key aspects of the theory include the nine major tectonic plates that make up the lithosphere and the role of convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere that cause the plates to drift over millions of years.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 8

    PLATE TECTONICS THEORY

    Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth’s outer shell—the
    lithosphere—that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for
    understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the
    evolution of Earth’s surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans.

    The concept of plate tectonics was formulated in the 1960s. According to the theory,
    Earth has a rigid outer layer, known as the lithosphere, which is typically about 100 km
    thick and overlies a plastic (moldable, partially molten) layer called the asthenosphere.

     The Earth’s crust and upper mantle are broken into sections called plates.

     There are nine major plates: North American, Pacific, Eurasian, African, Indo-
    Australian, Australian, Indian, South American, and Antarctic.
    These plates move relative to each other, typically at rates of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4
    inches) per year, and interact along their boundaries, where they converge, diverge, or
    slip past one another. Such interactions are thought to be responsible for most of
    Earth’s seismic and volcanic activity, although earthquakes and volcanoes can occur in
    plate interiors. Plate motions cause mountains to rise where plates push together, or
    converge, and continents to fracture and oceans to form where plates pull apart, or
    diverge. The continents are embedded in the plates and drift passively with them, which
    over millions of years results in significant changes in Earth’s geography.

    Plate movement is possible because the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is


    a zone of detachment. The process of plate tectonics may be driven by convection in
    Earth’s mantle, the pull of heavy old pieces of crust into the mantle, or some
    combination of both. 

    What is Convection Current?

     A cycle takes place in the mantle; the hot material from deep within the Earth
    rises while cooler material near the surface sinks.
     It rotates very slowly as they move and drag the plates along.
     These currents cause the movement of the tectonic plates that make up the
    Earth’s crust. 
     Because of these currents, the tectonic plates are able to move slowly along the
    tectonic boundaries, pushing each other, sliding past each other, and drifting
    away from each other.
     Tremendous heat and pressure within the earth cause the hot magma to flow in
    convection currents.
     This is a continuous process.

    Process:
     The hot, less dense rising material spreads out as it reaches the upper mantle
    causing upward and sideward forces.
     These forces lift and split the lithosphere at divergent plate boundaries.
     The hot magma flows out of the mantle and cools down to form the new crust.
     The downward movement of the convection current occurs along a convergent
    boundary where the sinking force pulls the tectonic plate downward.

    Earth’s layers

    Crust

     The crust is the outermost layer of the earth.


     It is composed of a mixture of silicate-rich igneous rocks. In addition there are
    some metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.
     The thickness of the crust varies from 8 km under the oceans to about 40 km
    under the continents. Temperatures within the deepest parts of the crust may
    reach 870 degrees Celsius- hot enough to melt rocks.
     Rocks in the earth’s crust consist mostly of two elements- silicon and oxygen.
    The next most common elements in the earth’s crust are aluminum, iron,
    calcium, sodium, and magnesium- in that order.
     The earth’s crust consists of the continental crust and the oceanic crust.
     Ocean crust is made up of primarily of igneous rocks/ Gabbro intrusive rocks in
    the lower 6km and extrusive pillow basalt in the upper 2km.
     Continental crust is a mixture of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks
    that is highly variable in age and composition.

    Mantle

     A thick layer of rock below the crust.


     Makes up over 80% of the earth's volume. It extends from the base of the crust to
    the outer core and is approximately 2800 kilometers in depth.
     Consists of igneous low-silicate content rock, rich in iron and magnesium.
     The upper part of the mantle has a temperature of about 870°C.
     This temperature gradually increases down through the mantle to about 4400°C
    where the mantle meets the next lower section, the outer core.

    Outer Core

     Scientists believe the outer core is about 2,250 km thick and is made of melted
    iron and nickel.
     The temperature of the outer core ranges from about 4500°C in the uppermost
    parts to about 6300°C in the deepest parts.

    Inner Core

     Lies within the outer core and makes up the center of the earth.
     The boundary between the outer and inner cores is about 5150 km below the
    earth’s surface.
     The center of the inner core is about 1300 km below the earth’s surface.
     Scientists believe the inner core consists of solid iron and nickel.
     The temperature there may be as high as 7000°C. At normal pressures, these
    metals would be vapors.
    2 Types of Plates

    • Ocean plates - plates below the oceans


    • Continental plates - plates below the continents

    Plate Boundaries

    Plate boundaries are the edges where two plates meet. 

     Divergent plate boundaries: the two plates move away from each other.
     Convergent plate boundaries: the two plates move towards each other.
     Transform plate boundaries: the two plates slip past each other.

    Convergent plate boundaries

     When two plates converge, the result depends on the type of lithosphere the
    plates are made of.
     This results in magma generation and earthquakes.

    3 Types of Convergent Boundaries

    I. Where oceanic crust meets ocean crust (Oceanic-Oceanic)


    • Ocean plate colliding with another ocean plate
    • The less dense plate slides over the more dense plate creating a subduction
    zone called a TRENCH
    • The line of volcanoes that grows on the upper oceanic plate is an island arc.
    • Examples of ocean-ocean convergent zones are subduction of the Pacific Plate
    south of Alaska (creating the Aleutian Islands) and under the Philippine Plate,
    where it creates the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of the ocean.
    • Effects: zone of deep earthquakes, oceanic trench, chain of volcanic islands,
    destruction of oceanic crust.

    II. Where oceanic crust meets continental crust (Oceanic–Continental)


    • Ocean plate colliding with a less dense continental plate.
    • Subduction Zone: where the less dense plate slides under the more dense
    plate.
    • VOLCANOES occur at subduction zones.
    • Continental arc are coastal volcanic mountains that are found in a line above
    the subducting plate.
    • Examples of ocean-continent convergent boundaries are subduction of the
    Nazca Plate under South America (which has created the Andes Mountains
    and the Peru Trench) and subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under North
    America (creating the Cascade Range).
    • Effects: earthquake activity zone (shallow along margin, deep beneath
    continent), ocean trenches, line of volcanoes inland from shoreline,
    destruction of oceanic crus.t

    III. Where continental crust meets continental crust (Continental-Continental)


    • A continental plate colliding with another continental plate
    • Have Collision Zones: – a place where folded and thrust faulted mountains form.

    • Creates some of the world’s largest mountain ranges. 


    • Example: the collision of the India Plate with the Eurasian Plate, creating the
    Himalaya Mountains, and the collision of the African Plate with the Eurasian
    Plate, creating the series of ranges extending from the Alps in Europe to the
    Zagros Mountains in Iran.
    • Effects: folding and faulting, broad folded mountain range, shallow earthquake
    activity
    Divergent plate boundaries

    • Boundary between two plates that are moving apart or rifting


    • RIFTING causes SEAFLOOR SPREADING
    • The space created can also fill with new crustal material sourced from molten
    magma that forms below. Divergent boundaries can form within continents but
    will eventually open up and become ocean basins

    I. On land

    Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts, which produce rift valleys.

    II. Under the sea

    The most active divergent plate boundariesare between oceanic plates and are often
    called mid-oceanic ridges
    Transform Plate Boundaries

     Are seen as transform faults, where two plates move past each other in
    opposite directions.

     Natural or human-made structures that cross a transform boundary are offset—


    split into pieces and carried in opposite directions.

     Transform faults on continents bring massive earthquakes.

     Example: A transform plate boundary between the Pacific and North American
    plates creates the San Andreas Fault, the world’s most notorious transform fault.

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