Chapter 4: PLATE TECTONICS
Learning Target
Vocabulary Word
Definition
Facts or Examples
continental
drift
continents ___________
moved over Earth’s
_____________
Wegener’s hypothesis
was that all the
____________ were once
___________ together in
a single landmass and
have since
_____________ apart.
Pangaea
a _______continent, or
single landmass, where
all the continents were
__________ together
Pangaea existed about
____ million years ago
and over tens of millions
broke apart and drifted.
fossil
any trace of an ancient
__________ that has
been preserved in
___________
Ex. ____________ =
fernlike plant, 250 mya
found in Africa, S.A.,
Australia, India, &
Antarctica evidence for
Continental Drift
___________
Lesson 1
I can explain Alfred
Wegener’s
hypothesis about the
continents, evidence
supporting the
hypothesis, and why
the hypothesis was
rejected . . .
Lesson 2
Symbol/Picture
I can define and
describe mid-ocean
ridges . . .
mid-ocean
ridge
long chains of
________________ that
rise up from the ocean
_____________
mid-ocean ridges are
mapped using
__________ (sound
waves)
I can explain how
sea-floor spreading
affects Earth’s
crust . . .
sea-floor
spreading
at mid-ocean ridges,
new material is
continually ___________
to the ocean floor
As sea-floor spreading
adds new more crust to
the ocean floor, older
strips of rock move
_____________ from
either side of the ridge.
I can explain deepocean trenches and
the process of
subduction . . .
deep ocean
trenches
the oceanic crust bends
_________________
In a process that takes
tens of _________ of
years, part of the ocean
floor _______ back into
the mantle at deep
ocean trenches.
subduction
the process by which
the ocean floor ________
beneath a deep ocean
trench and back into
the ___________ again
As subduction occurs,
crust closer to the midocean ridge moves
_________ from the ridge
and ____________ a
deep-ocean trench.
Lesson 3
I can explain the
theory of plate
tectonics . . .
plate
pieces of Earth’s
_______sphere
The major tectonic
plates are: North
American, South
American, Pacific,
African, Eurasian,
Antarctic, IndoAustralian, Nazca,
Scotia, Phillippine,
Cocos, Arabian,
Caribbean, & the Juan
de Fuca plates.
divergent
boundary
where _____ plates
move __________ from
each other
Most occur along midocean ridge, can also
cause ________ valleys.
convergent
boundary
where ______ tectonic
plates
_____________________
Two continental plates,
two ocean plates or
one continental and
one oceanic that
collide can cause
_______________ or
________________.
transform
boundary
where two _________ slip
__________ each other
North Amerian – Pacific
plates (by California),
many _____________ can
occur at this boundary.
plate tectonics
theory that states that
Earth’s plates are in
_________, ___________
motion, driven by
convection currents in
the _____________.
This theory incorporates
sea-floor spreading,
continental drift and
______________ as
evidence.
faults
breaks in Earth’s
__________ where rocks
have ____________ past
each other
Occurs at plate
boundaries. Plates can
collide, pull apart or
______________ past
each other.
rift valley
d ______ valley that
forms when plates
_______ apart or diverge
on land.
Ex, East African rift
system
Learning Targets Chapter 4
Lesson 1
I can explain Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis about the continents, evidence supporting the hypothesis, and why the
hypothesis was rejected . . .
Wegener’s hypothesis was that all the ___________________ were once joined together in a _______________ landmass, called
__________________ and have since __________ apart.
Lesson 2
Mid-ocean _______________ form long chains of __________________ that rise up from the ocean floor.
I can explain how sea-floor spreading affects Earth’s crust . . .
Sea-floor spreading adds more ____________ to the ocean floor. At the same time, older strips of rock move
_________________ from either side of the _____________.
I can explain deep-ocean trenches and the process of subduction . . .
In a process taking tens of millions of years, part of the ocean floor _______________ back into the _______________ at deepocean ridges.
Lesson 3
I can explain the theory of plate tectonics . . .
The Theory of Plate Tectonics states that Earth’s _____________ are in slow, ________________ motion, driven by ____________
currents in the ____________________.