Download Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics
Icons key:
For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation.
Flash activity. These activities are not editable.
Accompanying worksheet.
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Printable activity.
Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page.
Useful web links.
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2008
How old is the Earth?
What is the Earth made from?
Contents
What is plate tectonics?
What happens at the different types of
plate boundary?
Summary activities
The key concepts covered are:
Space and Physical and human processes.
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Howold
old is
How
isthe
theEarth?
Earth?
By the end of this section, you will:
Be able to identify
important points on the
Earth’s timeline.
Have discovered how old
the Earth is.
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History of the Earth
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More than ever
We know more about the Earth than we ever have before.
Scientific advances have significantly
changed our knowledge of the
structure of the Earth.
We can now say:
what the structure of the
Earth is
how the Earth has
changed over time
what might happen to the
Earth in the future.
Do we know everything about the
Earth’s structure and its history?
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What
is
the
Earth
made
What is the Earth made
from?
from?
By the end of this section, you will:
Be able to identify what the
Earth is made of.
Understand how these
layers fit together.
Learn more details about
the Earth’s structure.
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Looking into the Earth
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Across the Earth
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Structurally sound?
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What is
What is plate
plate
tectonics?
tectonics?
By the end of this section, you will:
Know what is meant by the
term plate tectonics.
Know what continental drift
is and how it affects Earth.
Be able to identify and
name the major plates.
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Continental drift
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Evidence for continental drift
It was not until the 1960s that the theory of continental drift
became accepted by the scientific community.
Some continents fit together
almost perfectly, e.g. South
America and Africa.
Similar fossils can be found on
different continents. This shows
these regions were once very
close or joined together.
Almost identical patterns of rock layers on different
continents is evidence that the rocks were once close
together or joined.
Why are the continents moving?
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What is plate tectonics?
In the 1960s geologists used surveys of the ocean floor to
explain continental drift with the theory of plate tectonics.
The Earth's surface is made up of a number of large
plates that are in constant, slow motion.
The ocean floors are continually moving, spreading
from the centre and sinking at the edges.
The edges of these plates – plate boundaries – are
where earthquakes and volcanoes occur.
Convection currents in the mantle move the plates.
The plates ‘float’ on the mantle and move around the
Earth’s surface.
How do the plates actually move?
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Why do the plates move?
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Plate names
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What
happens
atthe
the
different
What
happens at
different
types of
of plate
types
plateboundary?
boundary?
By the end of this section, you will:
Know that there are different
types of plate boundary.
Understand what happens at
the different plate boundaries.
Be able to state on what type
of boundary earthquakes and
volcanoes are likely to happen.
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Know the boundaries
The tectonic plates
are moving in
different directions.
The movements have
different effects on the
landscape of the Earth.
Plates that are moving in opposite directions form a
constructive boundary.
Plates that move towards each other form either a
destructive boundary or a collision boundary.
Plates sliding by each other form a conservative boundary.
Can you name one example of each of
the different boundary types?
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Have you got the edge?
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Constructive plate boundary
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Constructive information
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Destructive plate boundary
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Destructive order
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Collision plate boundary
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Destructive or collision?
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Conservative plate boundary
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Conservative order
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Plate definitions
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Summary activities
Summary
activities
By the end of this section, you will:
Know the key points of
plate tectonics.
Understand important
words and phrases relating
to plate tectonics.
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Summary quiz
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Glossary
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Anagrams
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