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Transcript
Plate Tectonics What evidence do scientists have to support the fact that the Earth’s crust is continuously moving? Plate Tectonics • The theory that describes how tectonic plates move and shape Earth’s surface • Tectonic plates are huge pieces of crust that fit together at their edges to cover Earth’s surface. About 12 plates exist on Earth Earth’s Interior • Crust – Rigid outer shell of Earth – Oceanic and Continental Crust • Mantle – Upper mantle is partially molten – Lower mantle is rigid (solid) Earth’s Interior • Core – Outer core is molten iron, source of Earth’s magnetic field – Inner core is solid, Iron and Nickel Plate Boundaries Divergent Boundary Convergent Boundary Transform Boundary Divergent Boundary • Two tectonic plates move apart from each other • Rift valleys – long narrow depressions • Rift valley in East Africa Convergent Boundary • Two tectonic plates move towards each other (come together) • Oceanic Plates are more dense • Continental Plates are less dense Subduction • Process when one tectonic plate slips beneath another plate • Oceanic – Oceanic – Subduction Occurs – Deep Sea Trenches (Marianas Trench) • Oceanic – Continental – Subduction Occurs – Trench and Volcanic Arch (Peru – Chile Trench) • Continental – Continental – Mountain Building – Himalayas – Aleutian Islands Transform Boundary • Region where two plates slide past each other • Earthquakes occur at transform boundaries • San Andreas Fault in San Francisco