TITL E/TOPICS

Lesson 1: PLATE TECTONICS

STANDARDS

Content Standard:
● The learners demonstrate an understanding of the relationship among the
locations of volcanoes, earthquake epicenters, and mountain ranges
 Performance Standard:
● The learners shall be able to: demonstrate ways to ensure disaster
preparedness during earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions
● The suggest ways by which he/she can contribute to government efforts
in reducing damage due to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions

Learning Objective:
● At the end of the lesson, I should be able to:
1. describe the contribution of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters,
and major mountain belts productivity tools
2. Describe the different types of plate boundaries.
3. Explain the different processes that occur along the plate boundaries
4. Describe the internal structure of the Earth
5. Describe the possible causes of plate movement
6. Enumerate the lines of evidence that support plate movement
7. understand the different uses of productivity tools
8. create a presentation of data using productivity tools

Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC):

● Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake
epicenters, and major mountain belts to Plate Tectonic Theory
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
To do well in this module, you need to remember and do the following:
1. Answer all the exercises and process questions completely.
2. Study the explanation well.
3. Supplement yourself with other learning materials when available and
necessary.
4. Write down your thoughts to help to process information.
5. Keep in mind that your success in this module depends on how much effort
you put into doing the activities in this module.

MAP OF CONCEPTUAL CHANGE

Direction: Sum up your answer to these questions by filling in the Initial
column of the IRF - chart.
How should we prepare for disasters that include volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes and tsunamis?
INITIAL REVISED FINAL

How do Earth’s plate movements affect humans?

MOTIVATION
Activity 1a: Put on the Map
Look at the world map shown below. Where do you think earthquakes are most
likely to happen? Where can you find volcanoes? Where are the major
mountain belts of the world located? Where are tsunamis most likely to occur?
https://geology.com/world/world-map.shtml
Write your answer to these questions by filling in the “Put on the Map”
worksheet below. Alternatively, you can download a copy of the map, then
crop, label, and paste parts of it or the whole map under the “Where in the
world?” column. Then write your reason or explanation under the “Why here?’
column.
Put On The Map Worksheet

Where in the world? Why here?

Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Mountain Belts
Tsunamis

PROCESS QUESTIONS:
1. What was your basis for identifying these locations in the world map?
Do earthquakes and tsunamis occur randomly on Earth? Are volcanoes and
mountain belts found in every country or continent? Why? Why not?

LESSON/CONTENT

Good Day Everyone! Let’s begin this module by gathering your ideas about
plate tectonics.
 Look at the picture and identify what it is all about?

What is the fault?

A fault is an area of stress in the Earth where broken rocks slide past
each other, causing a crack in the Earth’s surface.

The Plate Tectonics Theory

The prevailing evidence for the seafloor spreading led to more research on the
earth’s crust. A Canadian scientist, J. Tuzo Wilson studied Wegener’s
continental drift and together with the new findings on the seafloor spreading
came up with the plate tectonics theory.
A scientific theory is a reasonable explanation of the events that occur in
nature. This is based on a lot of observations and retesting of hypotheses. Tuzo
observed that just like the ocean floor, cracks are also found in continents.
This made him conclude that the lithosphere, which is the topmost part of the
earth’s crust, is not solid continuous rock but made up of cracked pieces of
crust interlocking with each other. Each piece of crust is called a tectonic plate
or simply a plate. Plates vary in size and may contain continents only, the
ocean only, or both ocean and continent.

Active Faults
A fault breaks in the ground along which movement has taken place.
To see what this means, study the drawings in Figure 1.1 The drawing on the
left shows the landscape before faulting has occurred. The two drawings on
the right show what happens during faulting: the ground is displaced. In some
faults, the ground may move in the horizontal direction or sideways. In other
faults, the movement is in the vertical direction. Portions of the ground move
up or down with respect to one another. It is the sudden movement along
 faults that sets off the shaking which feels like an earthquake.
https://www.google.com/search?q=kinds+of+strike-slip+faults&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj0xsa2yeHxAhVIR5QKHfrDBcsQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=kinds+of+strike-
slip+faults&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoHCCMQ6gIQJzoICAAQsQMQgwE6BQgAELEDOgIIADoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQzoGCAAQBRAeOgQIABAYUNy6AVjI0wJg5tkCaAJwAHgBgAHiBYgBhC2SAQ4wLjIwLjUuMC4xLjE
uMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAEKwAEB&sclient=img&ei=11PuYLT_GMiO0QT6h5fYDA&bih=568&biw=1366&rlz=1C1GCEA_enPH932PH932#imgrc=qnAkQGzdaaiKRM

The map below from PHIVOLCS shows the active faults in the Philippines.
The red lines represent
active faults.

One particular fault, the

Philippine fault, stretches
all along the length of the
archipelago. It starts
somewhere in Ilocos,
crosses the Cordilleras,
extends to Quezon
Province, skirts Masbate,
slices Leyte from tip to
tip, and runs along the
eastern portion of
Mindanao.

Types of Faults
Earthquakes result from
movement along a fault. Faults
and earthquakes are cause and
effect. The sense of motion on
faults describes how the blocks
move relative to each other.
Faults may move along pre-
existing fractures or may form a
new one.

Normal Fault
Normal faults have a
steep or nearly vertical fault
plane. Movement is
predominantly in a vertical
direction so that one side
(footwall) is raised or upthrow relative to the other (hanging wall), which is
downthrown. A normal fault results in a steep, straight fault scarp.
Reverse Fault
The inclination of the fault plane is one side (hanging wall) rises up
over the other (footwall) and a crustal shortening occurs. Reverse faults
 produce fault scarps similar to those of normal faults, but the possibility of
land sliding is greater because an overhanging scarp tends to be formed.

Strike-Slip Fault
Strike-slip faults are faults in which the dominant displacement is
along with the trend of a strike of the fault.
Strike-slip faults are associated with shear stresses. One side of the fault
“slides” past the other.
Transform Fault
Transform faults are the only type of strike-slip faults associated or
classified with plate boundaries.
Transform faults have nearly vertical dips and serve to connect large structures
such as segments of oceanic crust. All transform faults are strike-slip faults
because rocks on either side of the fault move parallel to the fault itself.
Landforms associated with faulting
a. Rift Valley or Graven
A rift valley or garden is formed by the down-throwing depression of a
block of country land in between two parallel faults. The lake of Africa,
the Dead Sea of Israel, the Red Sea, and the Rhine Valley in Germany
are very important examples of rift valleys.
The
b. Horst
Horst are formed by the up-throwing or raising of a block of country
that lies between two parallel faults. In this case, the center block is not
only up-thrown but the side blocks are also relatively down-thrown so
that the whole central mass appears like a dome.
c. Block mountain
Block Mountains are formed by the up-throwing of a block of the
country on one side of a pair of parallel faults. The up-thrown block
stands like a mountain and is known as a monocline

Trenches
 Figure 1.3 Distribution of Active Fault and Trenches in the Philippines
https://www.google.com/search?q=distribution+of+active+faults+and+trenches+in+the+philippines&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj9rMHh9OHxAhV4xosBHY9yAUoQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=Distribution+of+Active+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyBggAEAgQHjIECAAQGDIECAAQGDIECAAQGDIECAAQGDoECC
MQJzoFCAAQsQM6CAgAELEDEIMBOgQIABBDOgcIABCxAxBDUKmXKljMhixgsbEsaABwAHgAgAG8AYgBohOSAQUxMS4xMpgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sc
lient=img&ei=SIHuYP3oDfiMr7wPj-WF0AQ&bih=568&biw=1366&rlz=1C1GCEA_enPH932PH932#imgrc=OIaMu1m4XrWyMM

Trenches are like deep canals on the seafloor. When viewed from the side,
they have a V-Shaped cross-section. You may have heard of the deepest
trench in the world, Marianas Trench. It is more than 10 km deep. That is
greater than the height of Mt. Everest.

Why are we talking about trenches?

How do we explain the global pattern of volcanoes and earthquakes?

Science 10: Lesson 1 Distribution of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Mountain

Ranges

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNRI6sv5igQ

How movement of the outermost rigid layer leads to volcanism and

earthquakes.

Inside the Earth

https://www.slideshare.net/LAVINAMADAN/inside-our-earth-
71248908?from_action=save

If the earth were a hard-boiled egg, the eggshell is the lithosphere. But the lithosphere
does not go around the earth in one continuous layer like an eggshell. It is broken into
pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle.
Where do we find the world’s active volcanoes?

In this lesson, you will discover that the world’s volcanoes are not distributed
randomly all over the globe. They are found in certain places. Where are these places?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gibCbM6-xDE

A volcano is an opening in a planet or moon’s crust through

which molten rock, hot gases, and other materials erupt. Volcanoes often form a hill
or mountain as layers of rock and ash build-up from repeated eruptions.
Volcanoes are classified as active, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes have a recent
history of eruptions; they are likely to erupt again. Dormant volcanoes have not
erupted for a very long time but may erupt at a future time. Extinct volcanoes are not
expected to erupt in the future.
Inside an active volcano is a chamber in which molten rock, called magma, collects.
Pressure builds up inside the magma chamber, causing the magma to move through
channels in the rock and escape onto the planet’s surface. Once it flows onto the
surface the magma is known as lava.
Some volcanic eruptions are explosive, while others occur as a slow lava flow.
Eruptions can occur through the main opening at the top of the volcano or through
vents that form on the sides. The rate and intensity of eruptions, as well as the
composition of the magma, determine the shape of the volcano.
Volcanoes are found on both land and the ocean floor. When volcanoes erupt on the
ocean floor, they often create underwater mountains and mountain ranges as the
released lava cools and hardens. Volcanoes on the ocean floor become islands when
the mountains become so large they rise above the surface of the ocean.

Volcanic eruptions can create colorful and

dramatic displays, such as the eruption of
this volcano in the Virunga Mountains of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Location of active volcanoes in other parts
of the world
Take a look at the world map below.
It shows the location of the most active
volcanoes. Are the volcanoes scattered
randomly all over the place? Or are they
confined to certain places?
https://www.google.com/search?q=most+of+the+world%27s+active+volcanoes+are+located+in+a+narrow+belt+around+the+pacific+ocean&rlz=1C1GCEA_enPH932PH9
32&sxsrf=ALeKk02AT3t4GCq493v_dPwwVptBSIxeDg:1626231755906&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjx7IexyeHxAhUQPXAKHengC8kQ_AUoAXo
ECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=568#imgrc=gIaJPNWf7LkxnM

See if you can trace the chain of volcanoes that encircle the Pacific Ocean.
Using the internet and other resources, identify at least one volcano that is
located in the following places:

New Zealand Kamchatka Peninsula Mexico

Indonesia Aleutians Islands Colombia
Philippines Alaska Ecuador
Japan Oregon Peru
Kuril Islands Washington State Chile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmC-vjQGSNM
Plate Tectonics, By Bozeman Science (9.21 minutes)
In addition, use the link below to get more information about plate tectonics.
Save it or export it as a PDF on your computer. This will be most helpful in the
event of a slow internet connection or sudden loss of electricity. Read pages
157-159 and 164-165.
https://www.pittsfordschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinsta
nceid=1855&dataid=12390&FileName=CH%2008%20Plate%20Tectonics.pdf
Push the Boundaries
In this section, you will learn in detail how movement at the boundaries of
lithospheric plates affects Earth’s surface.

Key points
1. Subduction is a geological process in which the edge of a lithospheric plate slides
underneath the edge of an adjacent plate.
2. Subduction is one of the two major processes of plate tectonics, the other being
seafloor spreading.
3. Trenches, accretionary wedges (prisms), and volcanic or island arcs are key surface
features produced by Subduction.
4. A Subduction zone is the entire area of subduction between the trench and the
volcanic arc.
5. Depending on the particular subduction zone, the angle of descent varies. This affects
the distance between the trench and volcanic or island arcs.
6. The trench marks the line where subduction begins.
7. The place where subduction begins can move backward relative to the motion of the
subducting plate if the overriding plate moves forward.
8. Subduction allows oceans to close (get smaller) even as it grows new seafloor at the
same time. The Pacific is concurrently closing overall and growing new seafloor at the East
Pacific Rise. The Atlantic is growing in overall area and growing new seafloor.
9. As a descending lithospheric plate warms up at depth, it will eventually lose its ability
to sustain the earthquakes that allow us to distinguish that plate from the rest of the mantle.
10. Trenches are the very narrow and deepest features of the Earth's surface that mark the
place where plates begin their descent. Many occur unexpectedly close to the edges of
continents.
11. Subduction produces lines of volcanoes over the subducting plate, parallel to the
trench and perpendicular to the direction of plate motion. The types of volcanoes associated
with subduction are composite volcanoes, also called stratovolcanoes They occur high in
elevation as parts of major mountain ranges. Volcanic activity is violent and hazardous.
Volcanic activity continues for the duration of subduction over very long periods of geologic
time. The volcanoes associated with subduction produce many kinds of igneous rocks, but
andesite and diorite are special associations.
12. When the volcanic mountain ranges produced by subduction occur under the edges of
continents, they are called volcanic arcs. Volcanic ranges produced by subduction under the
edges of oceanic crust are called island arcs. The Andes and Cascades are volcanic arcs. Japan
and the Philippines are island arcs.
13. Accretionary wedges (prism) are folded and faulted piles of material that have been
scraped off the tops of the subducting lithospheric plates.
Questions for thought
1. What subducts - lithosphere, crust, or mantle?
2. Why is there much less subduction around the Atlantic than the Pacific?
3. What is a typical rate of subduction?

FIRM UP
Direction: Your goal in this section is to check the competencies according to
the level of understanding Crystal clear, Somewhat clear, and not fully
understood.
CHECKLIST OF COMPETENCIES

Competencies Crystal Clear Somewhat Not Fully

Clear Understand
Describe the distribution of
active volcanoes, earthquake
epicenters, and major
mountain belts.
Describe the different types
of plate boundaries.
Explain the different
processes that occur along
the plate boundaries.
Describe the internal
structure of the earth.
Describe the possible causes
of plate movement.
Enumerate the lines of
evidence that support plate
movement.
Infer patterns and
relationships among the
locations of volcanoes,
earthquake epicenters, and
mountain ranges.
Justify one’s predictions or
conclusions with the
available evidence.

Activity 1b
Let’s Review
When you were in the 8th grade, you were asked to explain how earthquake waves
provide information about the interior of the earth. Let’s review the internal structure
of the earth by watching this video. Go to the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY6SG7GPAlo
Earth’s Interior – Seismic Evidence Explanation, By Chris Merket (14.31 minutes)
Process Questions:
 1. What is the earth’s interior made of?
2. How will you describe its internal structure?
3. How did scientists deduce which layer of the earth is solid, liquid, or semisolid?

DEEPEN
Direction: Your goal in this section is to take a closer look at some aspects of
the topic.
Get up to speed with plate tectonics

Though it seems like a very long time ago when plate tectonics was discovered in the
20th century, it is considered a very short time in science years. With all the tectonic-
related global events that happened in the past and with the advancement in science
and technology, what updates do we now know about plate tectonics?
Activity 1c:
In this activity, you will read 3 articles related to plate tectonics and how tectonic
activities have affected and will affect humans. You will be asked to summarize each
article.
Article Reading and Analysis
Article 1: Satellite Map Reveals Secrets of the Sea Floor
Visit this link to read the first article.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2014/10/03/4099260.htm
Satellite Map Reveals Secrets of the Sea Floor, By Stuart Gary, 3 October 2014.
Sum It Up Instructions:
● Read the article and, as you read, list the main idea words on the “Sum It Up”
sheet.
● Write a summary of the article using as many words of the main idea words as
possible. Put one word in each box under the "Text Summary”. Imagine that
you have only $2.00 and that each word you use is worth 10 cents.
● Finally, you’ll sum it up in 20 words.
Activity 1d: LET’S REVIEW
When you were in the 8th grade, you were asked to explain how earthquake waves
provide information about the interior of the earth. Let’s review the internal structure
of the earth by watching this video. Click on the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY6SG7GPAlo - Earth’s Interior - Seismic
Evidence Explanation, By Chris Merkert (14.31 minutes)
PROCESS QUESTIONS:
1. What is the earth’s interior made of?
2. How will you describe its internal structure?
3. How did scientists deduce which layer of the earth is solid, liquid or semi-
solid?

Activity 1 e: SURF THE NET

You are now about to learn more about plate tectonics. As you explore this concept,
do remember the various study skills and strategies that were mentioned initially in
this module such as downloading videos, exporting a web page to PDF, taking
screenshots, screen recording, taking down notes, posting stickies, using a dictionary,
and many more.
ASSESSMENT
Direction: Discuss “How does Earth's plate movement affect humans?”

INTEGRATION OF FAITH, VALUES, AND LEARNING

The Flat-Earth Bible
© 1987, 1995 by Robert J. Schadewald
Reprinted from The Bulletin of the Tychonian Society #44 (July 1987)
Some readers have misinterpreted this document, supposing
that Bob Schadewald is defending the idea that the earth is flat.
That was not his intent. Some fundamentalist Christians are
uncomfortable with the many passages in the Old Testament
that seem to support the flat earth model, clearly contradicting
abundant scientific evidence that the earth is a round and
spinning ball. See: Is the earth a round, spinning ball. So they
rationalize and reinterpret these passages to defend their faith
that their Bible is without error. Bob, in this essay, tries to
show that they can't get away with this cheap trick, for the
writers of the Bible really did believe the earth to be flat. After
all, the Old Testament was written by people with little interest
in, or knowledge of, even the rudimentary scientific knowledge
of their neighbors. They borrowed their myths and
misinformation, without understanding.
The founders of the flat earth movement supported their ideas
by reference to Biblical authority. But so did the defenders of
the Koreshan Cosmogony, which modeled the earth as an
unmoving hollow ball, with us walking on its inner surface and
the entire universe also within it.
—Donald Simanek.

REFERENCES
https://www.google.com/search?q=distribution+of+active+faults+and+trenches+in+t
he+philippines&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj9rMHh9OHxAhV4xosBHY9yAUoQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=Distribution+of+Active+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADIC
CAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyBggAEAgQHjIECAAQGDIECAAQGDIECAAQGDI
ECAAQGDoECCMQJzoFCAAQsQM6CAgAELEDEIMBOgQIABBDOgcIABCxA
xBDUKmXKljMhixgsbEsaABwAHgAgAG8AYgBohOSAQUxMS4xMpgBAKABA
aoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=SIHuYP3oDfiMr7wPj-
WF0AQ&bih=568&biw=1366&rlz=1C1GCEA_enPH932PH932#imgrc=OIaMu1m4
XrWyMM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY6SG7GPAlo
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2014/10/03/4099260.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY6SG7GPAlo
https://www.pittsfordschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?modul
einstanceid=1855&dataid=12390&FileName=CH%2008%20Plate%20T
ectonics.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmC-vjQGSNM