Bell Ringer
1) At this type of plate boundary, the plates
move away from each other. Magma rises to
the surface, creating new crust as it cools.
a) Transform Plate Boundary
b) Convergent Plate Boundary
c) Divergent Plate Boundary
d) Subduction Zone
e) Convergence Zone
2) Metamorphic rock, such as slate and shale, is
formed…
a) As magma released from a volcano cools
slowly as it flows over the surface of the earth as
lava.
b) As magma is ejected from a volcano and
cools quickly, differentiating into clusters.
c) As pieces of minerals and other rocks are
crystallized together through lithification.
d) As rocks experience heat and pressure,
reshaping crystals within the rock.
e) Through a continuous process of heating
and cooling from an underground magma source.
3) Volcanoes are created as one plate slides
beneath another one. The crust is melted and
comes to the surface as magma. This process
is known as…
a) Subduction
b) Lithification
c) Volcanism
d) Transformation
e) Convergence
4) Identify each of the plate boundaries shown
below:
A
B
C
Earthquakes
Inside the Earth
• The earth’s crust sits atop the mantle – a thick
layer of “solid” (but moveable) molten rock.
• At the center of the earth is the core – a
molten, heavy layer made mostly of iron.
Inside the Earth
• The earth’s crust sits atop the mantle – a thick
layer of “solid” (but moveable) molten rock.
• At the center of the earth is the core – a
molten, heavy layer made mostly of iron.
• As one descends
deeper into the
earth, the
temperature
vastly increases.
Just the Facts
• .5% of earth is crust (oceanic and continental)
• 99% of earth’s crust is made of 8 elements:
oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium,
sodium, potassium, and magnesium
• Moho
• Lava in the earth magma when in reaches
surface, igneous when it cools
Inside the Earth
• Heat within the earth drives currents that flow
in loops in the mantle.
• The mantle’s soft rocks move upward as it is
heated and downward as it is cools.
(convection currents; energy transformaiton)
Inside the Earth
• The cyclical movement of the mantle beneath
moves the plates of crust sitting upon it.
• Earth’s fifteen plates move, on average, 1-6
inches a year.
Inside the Earth
• The movement of plates has profoundly
influenced life on earth.
• 225 million years ago, scientists believe all the
continents existed as one mass- Pangaea.
Inside the Earth
• The movement of the mantle has caused the
continents to drift apart, leading to the
world we know today.
Earthquakes
• The movement of the mantle can cause stress
to build up in the earth’s crust.
• The crust can only take so much stress before
fracturing and moving – causing an
earthquake.
Earthquakes
• Most earthquakes occur at the boundaries of
tectonic plates, as plates collide or slide past
each other.
• Movement can also occur
at fault lines – cracks in
the earth’s crust caused
by previous earthquakes.
Earthquakes
• Most earthquakes occur at the boundaries of
tectonic plates, as plates collide or slide past
each other.
• Movement can also occur
at fault lines – cracks in
the earth’s crust caused
by previous earthquakes.
San Andreas Fault 
Earthquakes
Earthquakes
Earthquakes
Earthquakes
Earthquakes
Kentucky’s largest earthquake occurred in
July, 1980. It was registered as a 5.1
Earthquakes
• The origin of an earthquake, the focus, is
often far below the earth’s surface.
• The earthquake’s epicenter is the location, on
the earth’s surface, directly above the focus.
Earthquakes
• As the crust moves to relieve stress, energy in
the form of seismic waves move outward from
the earthquake’s focus (like ripples in a pool).
• These waves result in vast damage as they
cause the earth to move.
Earthquakes
• The severity of an earthquake is determined
by the magnitude of its seismic waves.
• The wave magnitude is measured by a
seismograph.
Earthquakes
• Scientists use the Richter scale to assign a
“strength” value to each earthquake.
• The Richter scale goes from 1 – 10, with each
subsequent value indicating a ten-fold
increase in seismic wave magnitude (and
ground shaking).
• ex: An earthquake measured as a 6.0 on the
Richter scale is ten-times as powerful as a 5.0
earthquake.
Earthquakes
• Scientists use the Richter scale to assign a
“strength” value to each earthquake.
• The Richter scale goes from 1 – 10, with each
subsequent value indicating a ten-fold
increase in seismic wave magnitude (and
ground shaking).
• ex: An earthquake measured as a 6.0 on the
Richter scale is ten-times as powerful as a 5.0
earthquake.
The largest earthquake ever
measured occurred in 1960
in Chile – a 9.5
Earthquakes
• Scientists are beginning to also use a second
scale, the Modified Mercalli Scale, to rate the
strength of the quake.
• This scale uses direct observation and
personal accounts to classify the quake – the
scale ranges from 1 (insignificant) to 12
(catastrophic)
Earthquakes
• The primary effects of earthquakes include
shaking and displacement of the ground.
• These effects can have serious consequences
for people, buildings, roads, bridges, etc.
First Hand Accounts - Quakes
Tsunamis
Tsunamis
• Earthquakes occurring on the ocean floor can
result in tidal waves or tsunamis.
• Tsunami – a series of large waves generated
when part of the ocean floor suddenly rises or
drops.
Tsunamis
• Most large tsunamis occur at subduction
zones, as one plate slips under another; the
rise of the sea floor creates the tsunami.
Tsunamis
• The tsunami waves move rapidly at sea – as
they approach land, they slow down but
grown in height.
• As they hit land, they can cause great damage.
December 26, 2004
• An underwater earthquake, magnitude 9.15,
occurs in the Indian Ocean creating the worst
tsunami to date.
• Waves approaching land were as high as 100
feet and devastated regions of Thailand, Sri
Lanka and Malaysia.
• 228,000 people were killed.
First Hand Account - Tsunamis
Exit Slip
1) Where do earthquakes occur?
a) Along fault lines
b) Along the borders of tectonic plates
c) Along the interior of tectonic plates
d) A and B
e) B and C
2) Which answer has the parts of the earth
labeled correctly:
a) 1=Mantle, 2=Core, 3=Crust
b) 1=Crust, 2=Mantle, 3=Core
c) 1=Core
2=Mantle
3= Crust
d) 1=Crust
2=Core
3= Mantle
3) Which answer best describes how a tsunami forms?
a) Seismic waves from an earthquake along a fault line
on land move to the sea, where they cause waves to
build and rush toward land.
b) The movement of the mantle shifts the tectonic
plates, causing them to move apart, creating a wave
that rushes toward shore.
c) A transform plate boundary under the sea moves
apart, create seismic waves that propel the water
toward the shore.
d) At a subduction zone under the sea, part of the
crust rises, creating a wave that rushes toward land.
e) Magma from the mantle rises, heating the water
and causing it to rush toward the shoreline.
4) The Modified Mercalli Scale is used to
determine the strength of earthquakes. Which
answer below describes this scale?
a) It measure’s an earthquakes seismic waves
using a seismograph and plots them on a scale
from 1 to 10
b) It measure’s the displacement of the earth
and plots this displacement on a scale from 1-5
c) It uses first-hand accounts to determine the
strength of the quake, plotting it on a scale from
1-12
d) It measures the seismic waves eminating
from the focus; the waves are measured on a
seismograph and plotted on the Richter Scale.
California Earthquake of 1906
• The worst earthquake in North American
history occurred at 5:12am on April 18, 1906.
• Movement along the San Andreas fault caused
the quake; shaking was felt as far away as
Oregon and Nevada.