Mantle

•
Outer core

Inner core
–
–
–
Crust
•

The Crust

Continental Crust Oceanic Crust

- thick (10-70km) - thin (~7 km)
- buoyant (less dense - dense (sinks under
than oceanic crust) continental crust)
- mostly old - young
•

–
–
•
•

•
 Principles of plate tectonics
• The Earth is composed of a mosaic of thin
rigid plates (pieces of lithosphere) that move
horizontally with respect to one another
• Plates interact with each other along their
plate boundaries
• Plate boundaries associated with tectonic
activity (mountain building, earthquakes,
active volcanoes)
Alfred Wegener

• Proposed Theory of Continental Drift (1915)

• Failed to provide a mechanism
Evidence for Continental Drift

• continental shape
• similar geology
• fossil evidence (animal and plant)
• volcano and earthquake zone
• paleomagnetism
Evidence for continental drift
• Matching coastlines on different
continents
Evidence for continental drift
• Matching mountain ranges across
oceans

Today 300 million years ago

Evidence for continental drift
• Glacial ages and climate evidence
Distribution of fossils such as Mesosaurus

Mesosaurus
Permian 225 mya Triassic 200 mya

Jurassic 135 mya Cretaceous 65 mya

Present Day
Objections to the continental
drift model
• Wegener envisioned continents plowing
through ocean basins
• Wegener did not provide a plausible
mechanism to explain how the continents
could have drifted apart
• Most Earth scientists rejected continental drift
because it was
– Too far-fetched
– Contrary to the laws of physics

Lacked technology
 Evidence for plate tectonics
• Pattern of worldwide earthquakes (left)
matches plate boundaries (right)
Hess- Convection Cell Theory
•

The lithosphere is
made up of the
crust and the upper
part of the mantle.
•
•
 Three types of plate boundary
•

•
 The 3 types of plate
boundaries

1. Divergent

2. Convergent

3. Transform
 Divergent Boundaries

•
–
 Divergent plate boundaries

• Formation
of an
ocean
basin by
rifting and
sea floor
spreading
 Divergent plate boundaries
• The
Mid-Atlantic
Ridge is a
divergent plate
boundary
where sea floor
spreading
occurs
Age of Oceanic Crust

Courtesy of www.ngdc.noaa.gov
 Divergent plate boundaries

• Iceland sits
atop a
divergent plate
boundary
where
continental
rifting occurs
Iceland: An example of continental rifting
•
 Convergent Boundaries
•

–
–
–
 Convergent plate boundaries
a. Ocean-continent

• Convergent
plate
boundaries
vary
depending
on the type
of crust
c.
Continent-continent

b. Ocean-ocean
 Convergent plate boundaries

• An
ocean-continent
convergent plate
boundary
produces the
Cascadia
subduction zone
and Cascade
Mountains
 Convergent plate boundaries

•A
continent-conti
nent
convergent
plate
boundary
produces the
Himalaya
Mountains
 Continent-Continent Collision
•
Himalayas
Continent-Oceanic Crust Collision
•
Subduction

•
 Ocean-Ocean Plate Collision
•

–
 Transform Boundaries
•

Above: View of the San Andreas

transform fault
 Transform plate boundaries

• Transform plate
boundaries
occur between
segments of the
mid-ocean ridge
• Can also occur
on land (ex: San
Andreas Fault)
The world as it may look 50
million years in the future
PLATE MOVEMENT AND
ITS CAUSES
 LOCATIONS OF
VOLCANOES,
EARTHQUAKES AND
MOUNTAIN RANGES
Pacific Ring of Fire

Volcanism is
mostly
focused at
plate
margins
Volcanoes are formed by:
Pacific Ring of Fire

Hotspot
volcanoes
 What are Hotspot Volcanoes?
•

The Hawaiian island chain are

examples of hotspot volcanoes.
Photo: Tom Pfeiffer / www.volcanodiscovery.com
 The tectonic plate moves over a fixed hotspot
forming a chain of volcanoes.

The volcanoes get younger from one end to the other.

•

Figure showing
the distribution of
earthquakes
around the globe

•
Figure showing the tectonic setting of earthquakes
•

•
•
•