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Earth has a layered structure.
(5150 - 6370 km, solid iron)
(2890 - 5150 km)
(40 – 2890 km)
(0 – 40 km)
(Mesosphere)
The lithosphere is broken into a mosaic of about a dozen large, rigid plates.
Cork
Tectonic
Plates
Water
Heat source
Convection Currents
of the Mantle
Convection currents of the mantle drive the movement of the tectonic plates
over the Earth’s surface.
Convergent
Boundary
Divergent
boundary
Convergent
Boundary
Atlantic plate
converges with the
Philippine plate.
New hazard maps highlight seismic hot spots.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Science 2014;345:244-246
Published by AAAS
Phillipine
plate
Three types of plate boundaries: divergent. Convergent,
and transform-fault.
Mid-atlantic Rift, Iceland
Mid-atlantic Rift, Iceland
Rift Valley, East Africa
Volcanic activity
associated with
the Rift Valley in
astern Africa
(Afar in Ethiopia)
Phillipine
plate
Three types of plate boundaries: divergent. Convergent,
and transform-fault.
Rift Valley Baja,
California
Movement of continents during the Paleozoic:
formation of Pangea.
500 mya
400 mya
250 mya
200 mya
100 mya
Evidence for Continental Drift:
1. The jigsaw-puzzle fit of continents on both sides
of the ocean and the similarity of geological
features on opposite sides of the Atlantic ocean.
2. Match-up of glacier markings of the Southern
Continents.
3. Symmetric location of alternating magnetic
anomalies parallel with the mid-ocean ridge.
4. Volcanic hotspots and island chains.
Africa
South America
Jigsaw-puzzle fit of
continents
Matchup of ancient
rocks in adjacent
regions of continents
Glacier markings in rocks.
Hawaiian Chain (Hawaiian Islands)
Emperor Chain (Emperor Seamounts)
Hawaiian Chain
Q1. What is the scientific name for
the layer of the Earth between 670
and 40 km?
Q2. Baja California is
separated from
mainland Mexico by a
_______________
valley.
This _____________
boundary forms Dead
Valley, CA to the North.
Q3. Pangea was completed
__________ Mya
and started to breakdown
_________ Mya.
Q4. What feature of the magnetic
anomalies found along the floor of
the Atlantic Ocean provides best
evidence for the presence of a
divergent tectonic boundary?
_________________________
Q5. When judging the geology of the
Yellow Stone hot spot, it is clear that the
North America Plate is moving to the
_____________________________ ?