Download Geology- Module 7

Geology
Module # 7
• Pangaea was the name of the land mass that existed
approximately 240 million years ago.
• Alfred Wegner first created continental drift theory which
stated that the continents drifted apart from this land mass
into their present day location. He used plant/animal fossil
evidence to help support his theory.
• Eventually, Plate Tectonic theory was developed that stated
that the plates in the earth’s crust are moving due to
convection in the mantle.
Readiness
The History of Plate Tectonic Theory
Plate Tectonics and Crustal
Features
• Plates can collide (converge) to form mountains like the
Himilayas.
• Plates can separate (diverge) under the ocean floor and cause
ridges like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
• Plates can slide (transform) past one another and cause
earthquakes.
• Plates can collide and go underneath (subduct) another plate
to cause volcanoes.
Readiness
• Plates are moving in the earth’s crust due to convection in the
mantle of Earth.
Convection and Plate Tectonics
Readiness
• Heat from the core of the earth generates to create
convection in the mantle. Heat rises and sinks within the
mantle to create plate movement on the surface of the earth
resulting in different types of landforms like volcanoes, midocean ridges, and mountains.
Readiness
Convergent Boundaries
Readiness
Divergent Boundaries
Plate Tectonics Map
Readiness
• Looking at the map can you predict the different landforms at
each type of boundary?
Topographic maps show the changes of elevation and different
land features on the earth’s surface.
If contour lines are very close, then the land is steep.
If contour lines are spread apart, then the land gradually slopes.
At the end of a V-shaped river valley on a topographic map,
exists a delta, where sediment is deposited.
Readiness
Topographic Maps Weathering
Topographic Map
Readiness
• If you were to climb the hill, which way would you go?
Why?
How much elevation would you have climbed?