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Name________________________________ #_______ Date________________ Hour_______
Center #4: The Theory of Plate Tectonics @ www.sciencespot.net
Part I Directions: Use the computer to login and go to www.sciencespot.net and follow these steps:
 Look at the upper right hand corner of the screen- click on “Kid Zone”.
 Find the Earth Science box. Click on the “Plate Tectonics” link.
 Locate the “Earth Floor” link and click on it (1st column, 4th link down).
 Click on the red box titled “Plate Tectonics”.
1. Explain the importance of the theory of plate tectonics as described in the introduction:
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2. When was the theory of plate tectonics formulated? ____________________________________________
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3. List the seven main plates:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
4. The speed of plate motion is comparable to what? ____________________________________________
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5. What happens at CONVERGENT plate boundaries? ___________________________________________
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6. What happens at DIVERGENT plate boundaries? _____________________________________________
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7. What happens at TRANSFORM plate boundaries? ____________________________________________
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Click “Next” at the bottom of the page.
8. In the diagram, what two types of plates are colliding? __________________________________________
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9. What is happening to the continental plate? __________________________________________________
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10. What is formed at the bend of the oceanic plate? _____________________________________________
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11. Where on the Earth is there a “real-life” example of this collision? ________________________________
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12. List five facts about what happens at CONVERGENT boundaries:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Click “Next” at the bottom of the page.
13. Explain how new crust is forming at the boundary: ____________________________________________
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14. What is a rift? _________________________________________________________________________
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15. How does a rift form? ___________________________________________________________________
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16. Give two examples of places where DIVERGENT boundaries occur:
1.
2.
17. What is the rate of plate separation in the Atlantic Ocean? ______________________________________
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18. What is the most famous TRANSFORM boundary in the world? _________________________________
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19. Explain the motion of the transform boundary at the San Andreas Fault: ___________________________
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20. What are the effects of the sliding motion that occurs at TRANSFORM boundaries?__________________
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21. What happened in San Francisco in 1906? __________________________________________________
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