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PLATE TECTONICS

PLATE TECTONICS. PLATE TECTONICS = The theory that states that…. Earth’s lithosphere (the outer rocky part) is broken up into rigid pieces (called “plates”) These plates move around the surface of the Earth relative to each other

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PLATE TECTONICS

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  1. PLATE TECTONICS

  2. PLATE TECTONICS = The theory that states that… • Earth’s lithosphere (the outer rocky part) is broken up into rigid pieces (called “plates”) • These plates move around the surface of the Earth relative to each other • Interaction between plates is responsible for (it explains) most of the major surface features & events on Earth (such as volcanoes, earthquakes, trenches, rifts, mountains, etc.)

  3. Plates are made of lithosphere = the crust plus the top of the mantle. Lithosphere. Not crust. Lithosphere. Not a Plate Not a Plate Plate Plate

  4. The rocky part of the mantle is pretty much the same all around the globe, but the crust is not, so it is the crust composition that determines how the plates will react when they encounter each other.

  5. Two types of crust: • Oceanic • Continental

  6. Oceanic crust = • heavy material—just lighter than mantle material—so it floats “low” in the asthenosphere • thin (5-10 km) • fairly uniform composition (basaltic) • geologically young; gets subducted and recycled, so it is structurally simple

  7. Continental crust = • relatively low density, so it floats “high” in the asthenosphere • very thick for crust (10-80 km) • complex structure and composition (although it is generally granitic), because it cannot generally be subducted—it bears all the “scars” of every interaction it has ever been involved in.

  8. Crustal Thickness (in km)

  9. Plates usually have both continental and oceanic crust. • The type they have at their edges determines what they will do when they encounter each other.

  10. For each of the margin or boundary types below (the ones with the “=” next to them are the ones you need to complete): • write a definition • draw a cross-section (down to the asthenosphere) of the plate boundary type—with crust types labeled, and • give a real-world example ( a place on Earth) • PASSIVE MARGIN = • ACTIVE MARGINS • Divergent Boundary = • Transform Boundary = • Convergent Boundaries (3 types) • Continental-Continental Collision = • Continental-Oceanic Collision = • Oceanic-Oceanic Collision =

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