Download Classzone webquest plate tectonics and Wegener

Name__________________________________Date_______Per_____ST#_____
Classzone Webquest - Plate Tectonics and Wegener
*Go to www.Classzone.com . Click on Middle School, Michigan and then “Go”
*Click on our Earth Science book
*Click on The Changing Earth
*Click on Ch 6 Plate Tectonics
*Click on the 2nd link down: “Inside Earth”
This page is a quick review of the inside of the earth and some vocab, none of it should be new to you, so feel free to
skip down to question 15 and move to the bottom of the current computer screen to click directly on “Historical
Perspective”
1.
At the turn of the century, scientists determined that our planet is made up of 3 main layers:
_________,____________, and the ______________.
2.
The _____________ is the _______-most layer; is __________ and very _______, compared to the other two layers.
3.
The thickness of the crust averages _______km, but under large mountain ranges can be as deep as _____km.
4.
Below the crust is the ____________, a _________, _________ layer of
semi-_________ rock.
5.
The mantle contains more _______,______________ and __________than the crust, is _________ and
____________ because of ____________and ____________ inside the Earth _____________with
_______________.
6. The Earth’s core is made up of ______distinct parts: a ___________________outer core and a __________________
inner core.
7. As Earth rotates, the liquid outer core _________, creating ____________________________.
8. The _________part of the mantle is ___________ and ________ ________ than the deep mantle and along with the
crust forms the rigid layer of rock called the _______________________. (a sphere)
9. ‘Lithos’ is ____________ for ________________.
10. The lithosphere tends to be ______________ under the oceans and in volcanically ____________continental areas,
such as the _________________.
11. Scientists believe that below the lithosphere is a relatively ____________mobile zone in the mantle called the
______________________.
12. “Asthenes’” in _________means ______________.
13. This zone is composed of hot, ______-________material, which can __________and ____________ after being
subjected to _______ ______________ and ____________ over geologic time.
14. The rigid ______________is thought to ___________ or move about on the slowly ___________asthenosphere.
*Click on “Historical Perspective” link at the bottom left of the screen.
*Click on What is a Tectonic Plate? (scroll down near bottom of this page, link is under a picture)
15. The _____________and _____________plates are among the largest of the plates.
16. Continental crust is composed of ______________rocks, which are made up of lightweight minerals of
_____________and _______________.
17. Oceanic crust is composed of ______________rocks, which are _______________and_______________.
18. Most boundaries between individual plates cannot be ___________ because
_______________________________________________.
19. These plates are mapped accurately, though, from _________ _________ by measurements from _____________
_______________.
20. Like many features on Earth, plates ___________over ___________.
21. Those composed partly or entirely of ____________ lithosphere can _________ under another plate, usually a
____________, mostly ______________ plate and eventually _______________ completely.
22. The ___________________ Plate, formerly the _____________ Plate, will someday be entirely sunk under the
____________________ Plate.
*Click on “Shrinking Farallon Plate”
23. Which part of North America is the Pacific Plate sinking under? ___________
24. What symbol is shown for the subduction zone at a plate boundary?
Divergent zone at a plate boundary?
Transform plate boundary?
25. From your memory and the pictures: In a subduction zone, one plate ____________________another plate. When
the crustal interaction is oceanic-continental, the ocean plate is __________________ under the continental plate.
This motion causes the over-riding plate to bunch up into islands and/or __________________ (in this case that
happens on the North American Plate. We also see that you often get _______________________ that are caused
by friction and melting of continental plate.
26. Also from memory, what does a subduction zone look like? Draw and label a picture here:
Go back to the page where you started on “Historical Perspective” https://goo.gl/wcHb5P
Tectonics comes from the Greek root _____ __________________. Before the theory of plate tectonics, there was the
theory of _____________________________ __________________________. According to that theory, Pangaea
broke up starting about __________________________ years ago. People originally thought that things happened due to
catastrophes, but that idea later gave way to the one we learned in class, Uniformitarianism, which is:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________. In 1596, ____________________ started
the idea that the _________________________________ were torn away from _________________________ and
______________________________________________ by ________________________ and ______________.
Later, in 1912, a German ___________________________________ names Alfred _____________________ came up
with the theory of ____________________________________ _______________________. He had the help from
another German, who proposed that Pangaea had broken up into 2 continents called ______________________ and
________________________________. Those broke up and became the continents we have today.
What evidence did Wegener use?:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
What was a fatal weakness in Wegener’s theory?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Click on “rejoined continents” and explain the picture below by considering the shaded areas and the labels:
Use this site to list and explain the 5 types of evidence Wegener used to support his Continental Drift theory
(later plate tectonics theory): https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap1-Pioneers-of-PlateTectonics/Alfred-Wegener