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Chapter 10 Plate Tectonics

Chapter 10 Plate Tectonics. Alfred Wegener. Proposed they hypothesis of continental drift CONTINENTAL DRIFT- the hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up and drifted to their present location. Wegener’s Evidence of Continental Drift.

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Chapter 10 Plate Tectonics

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  1. Chapter 10 Plate Tectonics

  2. Alfred Wegener • Proposed they hypothesis of continental drift • CONTINENTAL DRIFT- the hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up and drifted to their present location

  3. Wegener’s Evidence of Continental Drift • Fossil evidence – Mesosaurus in South America and Africa • Rock Formation – Appalachian Mountains in North America – similar age, structure, type of rock as Greenland, Scotland, northern Europe

  4. Climatic Evidence – evidence showing current tropic climates were once covered with glaciers and cold regions were once tropic

  5. MID OCEAN RIDGE-a long undersea mountain chain that has a steep, narrow, valley at its center that forms as magma rises from the asthenosphere and that creates new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) as tectonic plates move apart. Age of lithosphere youngest and sediment thinner near the mid-ocean ridge.

  6. SEA-FLOOR SPREADING the process by which new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms as magma rises to Earth’s surface and solidifies at mid-ocean ridge. This ultimately supported Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift.

  7. Paleomagnetism – the study of the alignment of magnetic minerals in rock, specifically as it relates to the reversal of Earth’s magnetic poles; Also the magnetic properties that rock acquires during formation

  8. Ocean Floor • Striped magnetic pattern on one side of the mid-ocean ridge mirrored the pattern on the other side. • Normal Polarity – magnetic field points north • Reverse Polarity – magnetic field points south

  9. PLATE TECTONICS - the theory that explains how large pieces of the lithosphere, called plates, move and change shape

  10. Lithosphere – the solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle Asthenosphere - the solid plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere; made of mantle rock that flows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it.

  11. There are 3 different types of boundaries – Divergent Boundary – the boundary between tectonic plates that are moving away from each other Convergent boundary - the boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding Transform boundary – the boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally

  12. Causes of Plate Motion • Mantle Convection • Ridge Push – pushes plate away from mid-ocean ridge • Slab Pull – subducting plate pulls the plate to the anthenosphere

  13. SUPERCONTINENT CYCLE - the process by which supercontinents form and break apart over millions of years

  14. PANGAEA – the supercontinent that formed 300 million years ago and that began to break up beginning 250 million years ago

  15. STUDY FOR YOUR TEST Not this!!! This!!!

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