Name Christian Carter Date 10/6 Period 1

Plate Tectonics Web-Quest

PartI: Earths Structure. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dnamicearth/str!ct!re.htm l
1. "a#el the laers of $arth in the diagram #elow.
%. &he lithosphere is made !p of the Cr!st and a tin #it of the Upper 'antle.
(. &he plates of the lithosphere move )or float* on this hot+ mallea#le ,emili-!id .one
/one in the !pper mantle+ directl !nderneath the lithosphere. &his is known as the
0sthenosphere.
1. &he laer of $arth that is the onl li-!id laer is the 2!ter Core.
Part II. Plate Tectonics. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dnamicearth/drift.htm l
A B
1. &r!e or 3alse4 5mage 0 depicts what $arth looks like toda. )circle the correctanswer*
Starting from the inside:
1. Inner Core
2. Outer Core
3. Mantle
4. Crust
Name 66666666666666666666666666666666 Date 66666666666 Period 6666
%.7hat did $arth look like %80 million ears ago4 &he continents of $arth were cl!stered
together in formation that a scientist named Pangaea. &he scientist that named
9Pangaea: was a ;erman scientist # the name of 0lfred 7egner. <e theori/ed that
9Pangaea= split apart and the different landmasses+ or continents+ drifted to their c!rrent
locations on the glo#e. 7egener>s theories of plate movement #ecame the #asis for the
development of the theor of Continental Drift.
(. 2rder the images of $arth>s plates in order from oldest or earliest )1* to most recent )8*.
5 3 2 4 1
Part III. Plates and Boundaries. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dnamicearth/plate.htm l
1. Name the missing tectonic plates in the #lanks on the image #elow.
North American Plate
Eurasian Plate
Pacific Plate
African Plate Australian Plater
African South American Plate
Antarctic Plate
%. &he place where the two plates meet is called a ?o!ndar. ?o!ndaries have different names
depending on how the two plates are moving in relationship to each other.
0. 5f two plates are p!shing towards each other it is called a Convergent ?o!ndar.
?. 5f two plates are moving apart from each other it is called a Divergent ?o!ndar.
Name 66666666666666666666666666666666 Date 66666666666 Period 6666
C. 5f two plates are sliding past each other it is a called a &ransform ?o!ndar.
(. "a#el the tpe of #o!ndar depicted in each image #elow.
Transform Divergent Convergent
1. Plates and ?o!ndaries Challenge. 3ollow directions for the challenge. @ecord o!r res!lts
#elow:
Part 5. N!m#er of correctl placed plates A 18
Part 55. N!m#er of #o!ndar tpes correctl la#eled A 1
Part IV. Slip, Slide, and Collide. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dnamicearth/slip.htm l
1. 0t coner!ent boundaries+ tectonic plates Collide with each other. &he events that occ!r
at these #o!ndaries are linked to the tpes of plates )oceanic or Continental* that are
interacting.
Subduction "ones and Volcanoes
0t some convergent #o!ndaries+ an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate.
2ceanic cr!st tends to #e Denser and &hinner than continental cr!st+ so the denser
oceanic cr!st gets #ent and p!lled !nder+ or ,!#d!cted+ #eneath the lighter and thicker
continental cr!st. &his forms what is called a subduction #one. 0s the oceanic cr!st sinks+
a deep oceanic &rench+ or valle+ is formed at the edge of the continent. &he cr!st
contin!es to #e forced deeper into the earth+ where high heat and press!re ca!se trapped
water and other gasses to #e released from it. &his+ in t!rn+ makes the #ase of the cr!st
melt+ forming 'agma. &he magma formed at a s!#d!ction /one rises !p toward the earthBs
s!rface and #!ilds !p in magma cham#ers+ where it feeds and creates Colcanoes on the
overriding plate. 7hen this magma finds its wa to
Name 66666666666666666666666666666666 Date 66666666666 Period 6666
the s!rface thro!gh a vent in the cr!st+ the volcano er!pts+ eDpelling lava and
ash. 0n eDample of this is the #and of active volcanoes that encircle the Pacific 2cean+
often referred to as the @ing of 3ire.
@oll o!r mo!se over the image to find the definitions of the words #elow:
,!#d!ction .one E &he area where one plate is #eing p!lled !nder the edge of another
'agma E 'olten rock+ gases+ and solid crstals and minerals
&rench E 0 steepFsided depression in the ocean floor
Colcano E 0 vent in the $arth>s s!rface which magma and gases er!pt
Colcanic 0rc E 0n arcFshaped chain of volcanoes formed a#ove a s!#d!ction /one
3ill in the tpe of cr!st converging in the image #elow.
Continental Crust
Oceanic Crust
0 s!#d!ction /one is also generated when two oceanic plates collide G the older plate is
forced !nder the o!nger one+ and it leads to the formation of chains of volcanic islands
known as island arcs.
Collision "ones and $ountains
7hat happens when two continental plates collide4 ?eca!se the rock making !p
continental plates is generall lighter and less dense than oceanic rock+ it is too light to get
p!lled !nder the earth and t!rned into magma. 5nstead+ a collision #etween two continental
plates cr!nches and folds the rock at the #o!ndar+ lifting it !p and leading to the formation
of mo!ntains.
Name 66666666666666666666666666666666 Date 66666666666 Period 6666
3ill in the tpe of cr!st converging in the image #elow.
Continental Crust
Continental Crust
@oll o!r mo!se over the image to find the definitions of the words #elow:
Continental Cr!st E &he $arth>s cr!st that makes !p its continents
'o!ntain E 0 high+ large mass of $arth and rock that rises a#ove the $arth>s s!rface with
steep or sloping sides
%. 0t dier!ent boundaries+ tectonic plates are moving awa from each other. 2ne res!lt of
h!ge masses of cr!st moving apart is seafloor spreading. &his occ!rs when two plates
made of oceanic cr!st p!ll apart. 0 crack in the ocean floor appears and then magma
oo/es !p from the mantle to fill in the space #etween the plates+ forming a raised ridge
called a midFocean ridge. &he magma also spreads o!tward+ forming new ocean floor and
new oceanic cr!st.
7hen two continental plates diverge+ a valleFlike rift develops. &his rift is a dropped /one
where the plates are p!lling apart. 0s the cr!st widens and thins+ valles form in and
aro!nd the area+ as do volcanoes+ which ma #ecome increasingl active. $arl in the rift
formation+ streams and rivers flow into the low valles and long+ narrow lakes can #e
created. $vent!all+ the widening cr!st along the divergent #o!ndar ma #ecome thin
eno!gh that a piece of the continent #reaks off+ forming a new tectonic plate.
Name 66666666666666666666666666666666 Date 66666666666 Period 6666
(. 0t trans%or& boundaries+ tectonic plates are not moving directl toward or directl awa
from each other. 5nstead+ two tectonic plates grind past each other in a hori/ontal
direction. &his kind of #o!ndar res!lts in a fa!lt. 0 fa!lt is a crack or fract!re
in the earthBs cr!st that is associated with this movement.
&ransform #o!ndaries and the res!lting fa!lts prod!ce man earth-!akes #eca!se edges
of tectonic plates are Hagged rather than smooth. 0s the plates grind past each other+ the
Hagged edges strike each other+ catch+ and stick+ =locking= the plates in place for a time.
?eca!se the plates are locked together witho!t moving+ a lot of stress #!ilds !p at the
fa!lt line. &his stress is released in -!ick #!rsts when the plates s!ddenl slip into new
positions. &he s!dden movement is what we feel as the shaking and trem#ling of an
earth-!ake.
&he motion of the plates at a transform #o!ndar has given this tpe of fa!lt another name+
a strikeFslip fa!lt. &he #estFst!died strikeFslip fa!lt is the ,an 0ndreas 3a!lt in California.
1. Complete the Plate 5nteractions Challenge and &est ,kills -!estions.
' score for Plate 5nteractions Challenge A I of 10
' score for &est ,kills -!estions A %( o!t of (0 or JJK
Name 66666666666666666666666666666666 Date 66666666666 Period 6666
Part V. Questions 'ou should be able to ans(er no( that 'ou co&pleted this (eb)uest.
Note F o! ma go #ack to the we#site and review to assist in answering the
following -!estions.
Convergent ?o!ndar
)ocean E continental*
Convergent ?o!ndar
)ocean E ocean*
Convergent ?o!ndar
)continental E continental*
1. DeepFocean &renches and volcanoes
are created # convergent #o!ndaries of
ocean and continental cr!st.
%. DeepFocean &renches +
@idges+ and 5sland 0rcs are created #
convergent #o!ndaries of ocean and ocean
cr!st.
(. 'o!ntains are created # convergent
#o!ndaries of continental and continental cr!st.
1. 0nother tpe of #o!ndar neither creates nor
cons!mes cr!st. &his tpe of #o!ndar is called a
&ransform #o!ndar #eca!se two plates move
against each other+ #!ilding !p tension+ then
release the tension is a s!dden Herk of land called
an $arth-!ake.
Name 66666666666666666666666666666666 Date 66666666666 Period 6666
1. Circle the correct tpe of #o!ndar for each description#elow:
0. &he#o!ndarwheretwoplatesmeetandtrenchesareformed.
*ier!ent Coner!ent Trans%or&
?. &heplatesmoveawafromeachotherallowingmagmatocreatenewoceancr!st.
*ier!ent Coner!ent Trans%or&
C. &heplatesmoveinoppositedirections#!ilding!ptension!ntiltheslipca!sing
earth-!akes.
*ier!ent Coner!ent Trans%or&
8. "a#el each tpe of #o!ndar as either: *ier!ent, Coner!ent, or Trans%or& Boundar':
hh
0. Convergent
?. &ransform
hh
C. Divergent
&he end. Please take a min!te and look over o!r we#F-!est to make s!re o! answered
all -!estions and completed all tasks. 'ake s!re o!r name is on the front and t!rn it in.