Name:______________________________________ Period __________
Date:_________________________
Directions: This assignment has you working on an interactive website that explores the earth's interior,
including its tectonic plates and their movements and how mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes
are formed. Go to the following website and complete the following activities.
Go to: http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/
Section 1: Click Earth’s Structure
1. Geologists learned about the Earth’s interior by studying _________________ ______________________.
2. They discovered the Earth’s interior is composed of three layers that include the
__________________________, _____________________________ and ______________________________.
The Earth’s Crust
3. The Earth’s crust is _______________________ and _______________________. It is the outermost and
___________________________ layer. The crust is not the same _____________________________ under
The oceans and continents.
The Mantle
4. The mantle is subdivided into two parts and is located directly below the ________________________.
5. The lithosphere is solid rock made up of the ___________________and a tiny bit of the
______________________ ________________________. The lithosphere has plates that hold the
________________________ and ____________________________.
6. The ______________________________ is directly under the lithosphere and allows the plates to move
or float in a semi liquid zone in the upper mantle.
The Core
7. The core is divided into two parts, the ____________________ core and the ___________________ core.
The outer core is the only _______________________ layer of the Earth. It is made of
_______________________ and _________________________.
8. The inner core is extremely __________________ and ______________________. It is made of
____________________ and __________________________.
Section 2: Click Plate Tectonics
Decide which picture more resembles Earth’s continents as they appear today. Click on that picture.
Then select How did we know that?
1. What was the name of the German Scientist that published The Origin of Continents and Oceans?
________________________________________. This scientist discovered 3 things that helped support
his theory.
A. The coastlines of ________________________ and _________________ _______________________
might fit together.
B. Plant and animal _________________________ were found on the coastlines of these
continents that are now separated by vast ________________________.
C. He also noticed that geologic formations, like _______________________ ___________________
on the two continents also matched up.
2. What was “Pangaea”?
3. What was his idea about what happened to Pangaea?
Continents on the Move- Finish the chart below.
200 million years ago
Pangaea splits into
two major landmasses
____________: in the
135 million years
ago
Gondwana splinters
further.
The ___________
__________, made up
of North America and
Eurasia.
____________ :in the
_______________-
___________,made up
of the other continents.
_________________
landmass.
The ______________
landmass breaks away
from the AntarcticaAustralia landmass.
_______________
landmass separates
from the__________-
65 million
years ago
There is major
rifting of
____________,
with the North
American
landmass
separating from
____________.
South America
and Madagascar
separate from
____________.
50-40 million
years ago
Greenland
separates from
____________
_____________.
Australia
separates from
______________
and moves
______________.
The India
landmass
collides with
______________.
4. The modern ______________________ _______________________ theory developed in the 1960’s, states
that the Earth’s lithosphere, is broken up into ______________________. They are slowly but constantly
_______________________________.
5. What does this help to explain?
*Test your skills on Plate Tectonics: Select the Continents Over Time. Use your work in the chart on
page 2 to help move the pictures into their correct spot. Were you able to correctly place the
pictures into the timeline?
Circle one:
yes
or
no
Section 3: Click Plates and Boundaries
1. There are ____________ major tectonic plates. There are 2 main types of tectonic plates. They are
__________________________ and ____________________________.
2. _____________________________plates are thicker and usually __________________ than oceanic
plates.
3. The names of the plates usually refer to ________________________, ______________________ or regions
of the globe where they are located.
4. What are the names of the 15 major tectonic plates?
1.
9.
2.
10
3.
11.
4.
12.
5.
13.
6.
14.
7.
15.
8.
5. The border between two tectonic plates is called a __________________________. There are 3
different types. Draw and describe what happens at each of them.
Convergent:
Divergent:
Transform:
6. Carefully study the map below the boundaries descriptions to see where each plate is located,
particularly the minor plates. Then roll over the key to see where the various boundary types are
and what think about what action is taking place there. Then, take the Plates and Boundaries
Challenge.
Record your score: _______________/15
Record your next score: _______________/22
Section 4: Slip, Slide and Collide
1. Where do most geological events occur?
Explore the Convergent Boundaries and Colliding Plates by rolling the mouse over the diagrams and
reading the information on the page. Describe how each of the following develop, using the
diagrams and written information.
2. Subduction Zones-
3. Volcanoes-
4. Island Arcs-
5. Tsunami-
6. Mountains-
Divergent Boundaries and Spreading Plates: View the video on how rifts develop. Using this diagram,
draw how a rift is formed. Be sure to label the diagram with the following vocabulary: volcano, lake,
rift valley, and magma. Don’t forget to draw arrows to show the direction of movement.
Transform Boundaries- Grinding Plates
7. At a transform boundary, a _______________________ is created when two tectonic plates
____________________ past each other in a _____________________________ direction. This type of
fault produces ________________________________. The fault at this boundary is called a
________________- __________________ fault. The best studied of these is the
__________________________________ fault in California.
8. Describe in your own words how an earthquake occurs.
Take the Plate Interactions Challenge. Record your score below.
__________/ 10
TEST SKILLS QUIZ: Take the quiz. There are 30 questions. When finished, review any questions you
missed. Do not print your results!
How many of the questions did you get correct? _______________/30.
Below, write which of the number(s) of the question(s) you missed.