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Name __________________________________ Period _____ Date ___________________ HOW DO SCIENTISTS DETERMINE THE BOUNDARIES OF THE EARTH’S PLATES? Scientists discovered that when the locations of earthquakes were plotted on a world map, these locations occurred in a variety of patterns. These patterns led scientists to believe that the earth’s crust is divided into different sections, or plates. The theory of plate tectonics states that the earth’s LITHOSPHERE (crust) is broken into moving plates that glide around on a semi-liquid interior. There are thirteen total plates, but only seven large, major plates. Six of the seven major continental plates are named for the continents where they are located. The seventh continental plate, the Nazca Plate, is located between the South American and Pacific Plates. The three types of plate boundaries, divergent boundaries, convergent boundaries, and transform boundaries, describe how two plates move relative to each other. CONVERGENT BOUNDARIES are colliding together, DIVERGENT BOUNDARIES are pulling apart, and TRANSFORM BOUNDARIES slide past each other. By plotting the locations of earthquakes, scientists have not only been able to locate plate boundaries but have also been able to determine plate characteristics and predict the movement of the plates. In this investigation, you will plot the locations of earthquakes and determine the boundaries of the earth’s plates. You will also study the directions in which various plates move. PROCEDURE 1. Following is a list of geographic coordinates of historical earthquakes. Plot the location of each earthquake on the map on your answer sheet by placing a dot where the longitude and latitude coordinates intersect. Then connect the dots to form a curved line. LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE 75°N 0° 30°S 20°W 70°N 15°W 40°S 28°W 60°N 29°W 45°S 30°W 55°N 30°W 55°S 40°W 45°N 40°W 60°S 60°W 35°N 40°W 40°S 90°W 20°N 40°W 35°S 120°W 15°N 30°W 45°S 135°W 0° 20°W 50°S 150°W 15°S 20°W LATITUDE LONGITUDE 2. Plot the following coordinates and then connect them. LATITUDE LONGITUDE 35°N 30°W 5°N 60°E 35°N 10°W 10°S 70°E 35°N 0° 30°S 45°E 35°N 15°E 48°S 30°E 30°N 30°E 50°S 0° 25°N 40°E 47°S 20°W 10°N 45°E 3. Plot the following coordinates and then connect them. LATITUDE LONGITUDE 15°N 55°W 15°N 65°W 15°N 75°W 4. Plot the following coordinates and then connect them. LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE 50°N 170°W 15°N 90°W 55°N 150°W 5°N 75°W 45°N 125°W 15°S 70°W 30°N 115°W 30°S 75°W 20°N 105°W 45°S 75°W 5. Plot the following coordinates and then connect them. LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE 60°N 180°E 30°S 165°E 55°N 150°E 50°S 160°E 45°N 130°E 55°S 135°E 30°N 125°E 50°S 110°E 15°N 120°E 40°S 80°E 0° 120°E 20°S 75°E 10°S 135°E 15°S 65°E 15°S 160°E 6. Plot the following coordinates and then connect them. LATITUDE LONGITUDE 30°N 45°E 30°N 60°E 30°N 75°E 20°N 90°E 15°N 95°E 0° 105°E 5°S 120°E Name __________________________________ Period _____ Date ___________________ HOW DO SCIENTISTS DETERMINE THE BOUNDARIES OF THE EARTH’S PLATES? 1. Look at the map you have just completed. What do the lines represent? 2. Listed below are six of the seven major continental plates that scientists have identified. The continental plates are named after the continent that is located on top of the plate. Write the names of the following continental plates in the proper places on your map. The seventh major plate is the Nazca Plate, which is identified for you. North American Plate Eurasian Plate South American Plate Indo-Australian Plate African Plate Antarctic Plate 3. Using the reading, define the following three vocabulary terms: a.) Convergent Boundary: b.) Divergent Boundary: c.) Transform Boundary: 4. Plate boundaries move in different directions. The movement of two plates creates natural formations in the rock layers of the Earth. Study the four diagrams in the figure to the right. Compare them to the features listed on your map. a.) What deep part of the seafloor might be an example that best matches diagram A? b.) What landform on your map would best match up with diagram B to the right? c.) What widening space on the seafloor might best matchup with diagram C to the right? d.) What type of boundary is shown in diagram D to the right? 5. How have earthquakes helped geologists identify major plates on the Earth? 6. Why is knowing the location of plate boundaries important? 7. Based upon your mapping and the diagrams above, which type of boundary would most likely be associated with brand new rock being formed? 8. Based upon your mapping and the diagrams above, which type of boundary would most likely be associated with rock being buried beneath the Earth and remelted into magma or metamorphic rocks?