Download The Structure of the Earth and Plate Tectonics

The Structure of the Earth and Plate Tectonics
The Crust is made up of ___________________________________ and
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What is Plate Tectonics?
-developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912.
-Pangaea means “One Earth”
Continental Drift
is________________________________________________________
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Plate Tectonics:
• The Earth’s crust is divided into _________major plates which are
moved in various directions.
• This plate motion causes them to
_____________________________
• ________________ against each other.
• Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of Earth
structures or “tectonic” features.
• The word, tectonic, refers to the
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Plates are made of rigid lithosphere.
The lithosphere is made up of the crust and the upper part of the
mantle.
Convection Currents:
The mantle is made of much denser, thicker
material, because of this the plates "float"
on it like oil floats on water.
Convection currents are caused by the very hot material
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rising and repeating the cycle over and over.
The next time you heat anything like soup or pudding in a pan you can watch
the convection currents move in the liquid. When the convection currents
flow in the mantle they also move the crust. The crust gets a free ride with
these currents. A conveyor belt in a factory moves boxes like the convection
currents in the mantle moves the plates of the Earth.
Sea Floor Spreading:
• Magma comes up from the mantle in the ocean
• Pushes previous crust that creates Mid Ocean Ridges (mountain
chains) on the sea bed
• Magma creates
new_________________________________________________
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Subduction of Crust
• Opposite of mid ocean ridges
• Earth’s crust is
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• Continental crust and Oceanic Crust collide creates
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•
Ex. worlds oceanic trenches (deepest part of earth’s surface)