2.

2 PLATE TECTONICS THEORY

Instructor: Niamatullah (Visiting)

M.Phil. (Geospatial Sciences)
Dept. Geography and Regional Planning
University of Balochistan, Quetta.
 PLATE TECTONICS THEORY
• The Plate-Tectonic Theory was developed during the 1960s & 70s.
According to the theory, the lithosphere is broken into 7 large, rigid
pieces called “plates”. Their size and position change over time.
Their edges, where they move against each other, are sites of
intense geologic activity, such as earthquakes, volcanism.
World Major Tectonic Plates
1. African Plate 2. North American Plate
3. South American Plate 4. Eurasian Plate
5. Australian Plate 6. Antarctic Plate 7. Pacific Plate
 Other Plates
• Cocos plate: Between Central America and Pacific plate
• Nazca plate: Between South America and Pacific plate
• Arabian plate: Mostly the Saudi Arabian landmass
• Philippine plate: Between the Asiatic and Pacific plate
• Caroline plate: Between the Philippine and Indian plate (North of New
Guinea)
• Fuji plate: North-east of Australia
• Juan De Fuca plate: South-East of North American Plate
• Plate Movements
The plates are all moving in different directions and at different speeds
(from 2 cm to 10 cm per year--about the speed at which our fingernails grow)
relative to each other. The place where any two plates meet is called “plate
boundary”. Boundaries have different titles depending on how the two plates
are moving relative to each other.
There are 3 types of plate boundaries
i. Divergent Boundary: Where plates split and pull apart due to tensional forces.
ii. Convergent Boundary: Where plates collide due to compressional forces.
iii. Transform Boundary: Where plates slide pass each other due to shear stress.
Supporting Evidences of Plate-Tectonics Theory
The following are the evidences to support plate tectonic theory:
a. The Shapes Match. The continents look as if they were pieces of a
giant jigsaw puzzle that could fit together to make one giant super-
continent. The bulge of Africa fits the shape of the coast of North
America while Brazil fits along the coast of Africa beneath the bulge.
b. The Plants and Animals Match. Same plant and animal fossils
found on the confronting coastlines of South America and Africa. This
was the most convincing evidence that the two continents were once
joined.
c. The Rocks Match
Broad belts of rocks in Africa and South America are the same
type.
d. The Ice Matches
Glacial ridges on rocks show that glaciers moved from Africa
toward the Atlantic Ocean and from the Atlantic Ocean onto South
America. Such glaciars are most likely if the Atlantic Ocean were
missing and the continents joined.
THE END