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Student Name/ Number:_____________________________________
Class:______________________________________
Plate Tectonic
Essential Vocabulary:
Crust
Mantle
Core
Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
Mesosphere
Tectonic plates
Continental drift
Sea floor spreading
Plate tectonics
Convergent boundary
Divergent boundary
Transform boundary
Compression
Tension
Folding
Fault
Uplift
subsidence
Seismology
Section 1: Inside the Earth

The Earth is divided into three layers.

The Crust: (page 190)

The mantle:
Deformation
Elastic rebound
Seismic Waves
epicenter
focus
Volcano
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
The core

The Physical structure of the Earth
o Lithosphere
o Asthenosphere
o Mesosphere:
o Core
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
Tectonic plates:

How is the Earth’s interior mapped?
o When earthquakes happen, vibrations known as seismic waves are produced.
These waves travel at different speeds through the earth depending on the
density and the composition of the material that they pass through. The waves
travel faster through solid than through liquid.
o When earthquakes happen seismographs (Instruments that record seismic
waves) measure the times at which seismic waves arrive at different distances
from an earthquake. The instrument then produces a Seismogram which is a
tracing of earthquake motion.
o Seismologists then use these distances and travel times to calculate density and
thickness of each physical layer of the earth.
o Seismic Waves:
 Body waves:

P-waves

S-Waves
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
Surface waves:
o Seismologists calculate when an earthquake began by noting the differences in
the arrival times of the p-waves and s-waves.
o They also determine an earthquakes epicenter (point on the earth surface
directly above where the earthquake started) as well as the earth quake focus
(point inside the earth where the earth quake started)
o Richter Magnitude scale is used to measure the strength f an earthquake. This
scale is used for comparing the ground motion recorded at seismograph stations.
 This scale measures the ground motion from the earthquake and adjusts
for distance to find its strength.
 Each time the magnitude increases by one point, the measure ground
motion becomes 10 times larger.
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o Modified Mercelli Intensity scale
 A measure of the degree to which earthquake is felt by people and the
amount of damage caused by the earthquake.
 A numerical scale
 Uses Roman Numerals from I to XII
Assignment: Section 1: Inside the Earth



Section review page 197 Due Date:___________________
Section Review page 229 Due Date:__________________
Review Pages 237-239 in your science text book as well as the packet you were given in
class. Discuss Earth quake safety with your family. Write a one page Earthquake safety
plan that you and your family devised together. Due date:________________
Section 2: Restless continents

Wegener’s Continental Drift hypothesis
o Evidence for this hypothesis:
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
Sea Floor Spreading:

Magnetic reversal is evidence for sea floor spreading.
Class activity: Create a model showing the process of sea floor spreading and magnetic
reversal.
Assignments/Projects: Section 2: Restless continents
Section review page 201 Due Date:_________________________
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Section 3: The theory of plate tectonics

Plate Tectonics:

Tectonic plate boundaries:

Three types of boundary:
o Convergent
o
Divergent:
o
Transform
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

Possible causes of Tectonic plate motion
o Ridge Push:
o
Convection:
o
Slab pull:
How fast do the Tectonic plates move?
Class activity: Create a model showing how the tectonic plates move.
Assignments/Projects: Section 3: Theory of plate Tectonics
Section review page 205 Due Date:__________________________________
Section 4: Deforming the Earth’s Crust
o Deformation:
o Plastic deformation
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o Elastic deformation

Elastic Rebound
o Stress:

o Two types of stress:
 Compression

Tension
o Folding:
o Three types of folding:
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.
o Faulting:

Foot Wall & Hanging wall

Normal Fault:

Reverse Fault:

Strike and Slip faults:
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o Mountain Formation
 Folded Mountains:

Fault Block mountains:

Volcanic Mountains
o Uplift:
o Subsidence:
o Tectonic let down
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Class Activity: Create models of different types of folds, faults and mountains.
Assignments/Projects: Section 4: Deforming the Earth’s crust
Section Review page 213 Due Date:_________________________________
Section 5: Volcanoes

Volcanic Eruptions:
o Non-explosive eruptions
o Explosive eruptions:

Structure of a volcano (Teacher Demonstration)
o Magma chamber
o Main vent (pipe)
o Secondary Vents
o Magma
o Lava
o Crater
o Caldera (larger than a crater)

What makes up magma? (teacher demonstration)
Beginning Date:_________________
Ending Date:_______________
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
What erupts from a volcano?
o Lava:
 Aa:

Pahoehoe:

Pillow :

Blocky lava:
o Pyroclastic material:
o
 Volcanic Bombs:

Volcanic Blocks:

Lapilli:

Volcanic ash:
o Pyroclastic Flows: (Teacher Demonstration)

Different types of volcanoes:
o Shield
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o Cinder cone
o Composite
o Lava Plateaus:

Predicting volcanic eruptions:
Assignments/Projects: Section 4: Volcanoes
Section Review page 255 Due Date:_______________________
Section review page 259 Due Date:___________________