1 / 17

PLATE TECTONICS

This overview of plate tectonics explains Alfred Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift, introducing the concept of Pangaea and how continents have moved. It covers key tectonic processes, including divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries, and their characteristics. Discover how magma convection currents influence plate movement and the formation of geological features like mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys, mountains, and earthquakes. Additionally, learn about hot spots and how they create volcanic activity as tectonic plates shift.

kyros
Download Presentation

PLATE TECTONICS

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. PLATE TECTONICS

  2. WHY? • Alfred Wegener: • Noticed the similarities in the shoreline of continent on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, he then began fitting them together. • Introduced the hypothesis of continental drift. • Suggested a supercontinent, called Pangaea (meaning "all land"), that broke up millions of years ago, slowly moved to their current positions, and continue to move today.

  3. LITHOSPHERE / ASTHENSPHERE

  4. CONVECTION CURRENTS:-Hot magma from the mantle rises, cools, + sinks.-Mantle moves + drags plates along with it.

  5. PLATES

  6. DIVERGENT • DIVERGENT- When two plates move away from each other. • Characteristics: Mid – ocean ridges (underwater mountain ranges) • Rift Valleys (narrow valleys that form where plates separate), Newest rock material (cooling magma forms new oceanic crust).

  7. DIVERGENTEx: Seafloor Spreading

  8. CONVERGENT • CONVERGENT – When two plates collide. • Characteristics: Mountains, most earthquakes, Volcanoes • 1.ocean – ocean 2.ocean – continent 3.continent – continent

  9. OCEAN – OCEAN CONVERGENT BOUNDARY:Subduction Zone Mantle rock melts + magma rises to the surface, creating islands.

  10. OCEAN – CONTINENT CONVERGENT BOUNDARY: Subduction ZoneOceanic Crust is more dense + sinks under Continental Crust

  11. CONTINENT – CONTINENT CONVERGENT BOUNDARY: Plates collide + the edges crumple, causing uplift = mountains

  12. TRANSFORM BOUNDARY • TRANSFORM – When two plates are moving past each other. • Characteristics: San Andreas Boundary

  13. Ex: SAN ANDREAS BOUNDARY The Pacific plate and North American plate grind past each other side by side.

  14. REVIEW

  15. HOT SPOTS AREA WITHIN A PLATE WHERE MAGMA WORKS ITSELF TO THE SURFACE ARE CALLED HOT SPOTS. HOT SPOTS ARE STATIONARY SO WHEN THE PLATE ABOVE IT MOVES A NEW VOLCANOE FORMS.

More Related