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Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics. Section 1: Earth’s Interior Section 2: Convection and the Mantle Section 3: Drifting Continents Section 4: Sea-Floor Spreading Section 5: The Theory of Plate Tectonics. Earth’s Interior. How have geologists learned about Earth’s inner structure?

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Plate Tectonics

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  1. Plate Tectonics Section 1: Earth’s Interior Section 2: Convection and the Mantle Section 3: Drifting Continents Section 4: Sea-Floor Spreading Section 5: The Theory of Plate Tectonics

  2. Earth’s Interior • How have geologists learned about Earth’s inner structure? • Geologists have used two main types of evidence to learn about Earth’s interior: • Direct evidence • from rock samples • Indirect evidence • from seismic waves

  3. Earth’s Interior • Geologists cannot look inside Earth • Use an indirect method. • Seismic Waves (Earthquake waves) • Study how they travel through Earth. • Data reveals several layers

  4. Earth’s Interior

  5. Earth’s Interior • Crust • Mantle • Outer Core • Inner Core

  6. Earth’s Interior • Crust • Solid layer of rock that includes both dry land and the ocean floor • Between 5 and 40 km thick • Dry land • Granite • light in color • less dense • Ocean floor • Basalt • dark in color • more dense

  7. Earth’s Interior • Mantle • very hot, but solid rock • about 3,000 km thick • Lithosphere • Crust and Upper Mantle region • “Lithos”, Greek for Stone • Asthenosphere • Remainder of Mantle • Very soft and hotter than Lithosphere • “Asthenes”, Greek for Weak • *Lower Mantle • Solid and extends to the Core region

  8. Earth’s Interior

  9. Earth’s Interior • Core • Mostly Iron and Nickel • Outer Core • molten metal (Fe and Ni) that surrounds the Inner Core. • Liquid • creates the magnetic field of the Earth • Bar-magnet with North and South Poles • Inner Core • dense ball of metal (Fe and Ni) • Intense pressure prevents it from changing from solid to liquid.

  10. Earth’s Interior • Pressure and Temperature increase as you move towards the center of the Earth

  11. Earth’s Interior • Core

  12. Earth’s Interior Assessment Questions • Why is it difficult to determine Earth’s inner structure? • How are seismic waves used to provide evidence about Earth’s interior? • List Earth’s three main layers • What is the difference between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere? • In which layer is each located?

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