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Plate Tectonics
Answer Key
Vocabulary: asthenosphere, collision zone, convergent boundary, crust, divergent boundary,
earthquake, lithosphere, mantle, plate, plate tectonics, subduction zone, transform boundary,
volcano
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
[Note: The purpose of these questions is to activate prior knowledge and get students thinking.
Students are not expected to know the answers to the Prior Knowledge Questions.]
1. Volcanoes are openings in Earth’s crust where lava, gas, and ash can erupt. Where are
active volcanoes located?
Answers will vary. [Active volcanoes are located around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, and
also in the Caribbean, southern Europe, Eastern Africa, Hawaii, and the Philippines.]
2. An earthquake is a violent shaking of Earth’s surface. Where are earthquakes common?
Answers will vary. [Earthquakes are common in many of the same places as volcanoes,
such as around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes are also common in South and
Central Asia.]
Gizmo Warm-up
Volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains, and other features of Earth’s
surface owe their origin to the movements of plates: enormous,
slowly-moving sections of Earth’s crust. At plate boundaries,
plates collide, move apart, move under or over each other, or slide
past one another. The theory of plate tectonics describes how
the plates move, interact, and change the physical landscape.
The Plate Tectonics Gizmo shows a cross-section, or side view, of Earth. (Not to scale.) Above
the cross section is a bird’s-eye view of the same location.
1. Turn on Show labels. What are the layers of Earth that you can see?
Crust, lithosphere, and asthenosphere [Note: The crust is part of the lithosphere.]
The lithosphere is a layer of rigid rock that consists of the crust and the upper part of
Earth’s mantle. The asthenosphere is a layer of the mantle that can deform like plastic.
2. Turn on Boundary name, and click on each boundary. What four boundaries do you see?
Transform, collisional, subduction, and divergent boundaries.
2019
Karen Fitzpatrick (kfitzp2200) - karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us - 140209422
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Activity A:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Sliding plates
 Select BOUNDARY A.
Question: What happens when plates slide past one another?
1. Observe: Boundary A is a transform boundary. The arrows below the BOUNDARY A label
will move the plates. Click the left arrow once to see how the plates move.
How would you describe the motion of plates in a transform boundary?
The left plate is moving away from the viewer (or “up” on the top view). The two plates are
sliding past each other.
2. Sketch: Draw a bird’s-eye view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion.
Draw an arrow to show which way the plate moved.
Before movement
After movement
3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find transform boundaries? (Note:
You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)
West coast of North America, southwest South America, southern Europe, India, Indonesia,
Siberia, and south of New Zealand
Highlight these locations on the map below.
2019
Karen Fitzpatrick (kfitzp2200) - karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us - 140209422
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Activity B:
Colliding
continents
kfitzp2200 / karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us
Get the Gizmo ready:
 Turn off Boundary name and Show location.
 Select BOUNDARY B.
Question: What happens when two continents collide?
1. Observe: Boundary B is an example of a convergent boundary, where two plates are
moving toward one another. When the two converging plates both contain continental crust,
it is called a collision zone. Click the left arrow four times to see how the plates move.
How would you describe the motion of plates in a collision zone?
The plate on the right is colliding with the stationary plate on the left, forming a mountain.
2. Sketch: Draw a side view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an
arrow to show which way the plate moved.
Before movement
After movement
3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find collision zones? (Note: You
can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)
The boundary between Africa and Europe, northern Arabia, northern India, and Siberia
Highlight these locations on the map below.
2019
Karen Fitzpatrick (kfitzp2200) - karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us - 140209422
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kfitzp2200 / karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us
Activity C:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Oceanic crust
meets continental
crust
 Turn off Boundary name and Show location.
 Select BOUNDARY C.
Question: What happens when ocean crust collides with continental crust?
1. Observe: Boundary C is another type of convergent boundary called a subduction zone.
Click the left arrow four times to see how the plates move.
How would you describe the motion of plates in a subduction zone?
The plate on the right moves to the left, sliding under the stationary plate on the left. A
volcano erupts.
2. Sketch: Draw a side view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an
arrow to show which way the plate moved.
Before movement
After movement
3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find subduction zones? (Note:
You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)
Around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Caribbean, south of Malaysia, and
southeast of South America
Highlight these locations on the map below.
2019
Karen Fitzpatrick (kfitzp2200) - karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us - 140209422
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kfitzp2200 / karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity D:
Spreading plates
 Turn off Boundary name and Show location.
 Select BOUNDARY D.
Question: How is new crust formed?
1. Observe: Boundary D is a divergent boundary. Click the right arrow four times to see how
the plates move.
How would you describe the motion of plates in a divergent boundary?
The two plates are moving away from each other. New crust forms in the boundary.
2. Sketch: Draw a side view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an
arrow to show which way the plate moved.
Before movement
After movement
3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find divergent boundaries? (Note:
You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)
Along the middle of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and between Africa and Arabia
Highlight these locations on the map below.
2019
Karen Fitzpatrick (kfitzp2200) - karen.fitzpatrick@k12.wv.us - 140209422