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Transcript
Name __________________________ class___ due ____ Make Flashcards! THEORY OF PLATE TECTONICS Study of the moving, irregularly shaped slabs that make up the Earth’s lithosphere (crust). Links together ideas of Pangaea (whole Earth), Continental Drift, and the ocean/sea floor spreading Explains how Earth has evolved over 4.5 billion years Helps to explain the formation, movements, collision, and destruction of Earth’s crust ALFRED WEGENER Developed the theory of Pangaea and the Continental Drift Came up with three important pieces of evidence RIFT VALLEY A deep crack that runs through the center of larger underwater mountains EVIDENCE OF PANGAEA AND CONTINENTAL DRIFT Fossils Coal deposits Glacial evidence Matching rocks and mountain ranges across Atlantic HARRY HESS Discovered that convection currents in mantle is the driving force behind why the continents have drifted CONVECTION CURRENTS Due to changes in temperature and density These changes move crustal plates over the molten mantle Currents act like wheels under a conveyor belt Plates move like the belts move toward the cashier at a store at check-out MID-ATLANTIC OCEAN RIDGE The underwater mountains are known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge A lot of volcanic action occurs at the ridge Volcanic action occurs when the ocean floor moves away on either side of it Lava wells up and hardens OCEAN/SEA FLOOR SPREADING The lava which wells up and hardens at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge creates this new ocean floor which is being called the ocean/sea floor spreading This helps explain the Continental Drift As a piece of the ocean floor moves, a continent goes with it