FOCUS:
Modeling Plate Boundaries / Snack Tectonics
QUESTION:
What occurs at the boundaries of Earth’s tectonic plates?
MATERIALS:
frosting - ½ cup
fruit roll ups - 2 (3" squares)
graham crackers - 2 squares
plastic spoon
water - 1 cup
sheet of waxed paper (8” x 11”)
HYPOTHESIS:
1.
What do you predict you will observe when you model two pieces of continental crust (graham crackers)
colliding? What type of plate boundary does this model?
2.
What do you predict you will observe when you model continental crust and oceanic crust (fruit roll ups)
colliding? What type of plate boundary does this model?
3.
What do you predict you will observe when you model continental crust and continental crust sliding past
each other? What type of plate boundary does this model?
PROCEDURES:
1. Use the spoon to spread the frosting into a layer about 0.5 cm thick. In this model, the frosting represents
the______________________________________, the layer on which Earth’s plates ride. The ___________in this
model are represented by the fruit roll ups (oceanic crust which is thin and dense) and graham crackers (continental
crust which is thick but less dense).
2. Place the two squares of fruit roll up (oceanic plates) onto the frosting right next to each other. Press down slowly
on the fruit roll ups (because they are dense and will sink a bit into the asthenosphere) as you slowly push them apart
about half a cm. Observe what happens to the frosting where the plates are separated. In the data section, draw a
diagram to show what the boundary looks like. Record your observations. What boundary did you create?
3. Remove one of the fruit roll ups from the frosting, place on the garbage plate. Place one of the graham cracker
halves lightly onto the frosting asthenosphere next to the remaining fruit roll up piece. The graham cracker
represents the continental crust, which is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust (fruit roll up). It floats high on the
asthenosphere so don't push it down.
4. Gently push the continent (graham cracker) towards the ocean plate (fruit rollup) until the two overlap and the
graham cracker is on top. The oceanic plate is subducted below the continental one. In the data section, draw a
diagram to show what this boundary looks like. Record your observations. What happened to the oceanic crust?
What boundary did you create?
5. Remove both the cracker and fruit roll up from the frosting asthenosphere and put on the garbage plate. Now take
two graham cracker halves (two continents). Place one edge of both crackers into the glass of water for just a few
seconds. Place the crackers on the frosting with the wet edges next to each other. Slowly push the graham crackers
towards each other. Observe the edges of the graham crackers where they are colliding. In the data section, draw a
diagram to show what this boundary looks like. Record your observations. What happened along the edges of the
continental crust? What boundary did you create?
6. Pick the two crackers up off the frosting and put on the garbage plate. Now take two graham cracker halves and
place side by side on the asthenosphere. Slide the crackers in opposite directions. In the data section, draw a
diagram to show what the boundary looks like. Record your observations. What boundary did you create?
DATA:
Model #
1 (Step #2)
Label = types of crust, asthenosphere, and the direction of plate movement
Diagram (Drawing + Labels)
Observations
Boundary
2 (Step #4)
3 (Step #5)
4 (Step #6)
Data Analysis Questions: IN COMPLETE SENTENCES (write your answers on lined paper and attach)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Describe in detail what you did in paragraph form, not a list.
What type of crust is represented by the graham crackers?
What type of crust is represented by the fruit roll-up?
What physical layer of the earth does the frosting represent?
What are some of the limitations of the models you’ve created?
What happens when the oceanic plate and the continental plate collide? Why does this happen?
7. What happens when two continental plates collide? What is formed? Why?
8. What happens when two plates slide past each other? What geological activity occurs?
*Give one real –life example of each type of plate boundary: (name and geographic location)
 Continental- Continental Collision

Oceanic-Continental Collision

Transform Boundary

Divergent Boundary
CONCLUSION: What was the purpose of this lab? What did you learn?
FOCUS:
QUESTION:
Home Lab:
Modeling Plate Boundaries / Snack Tectonics
What occurs at the boundaries of Earth’s tectonic plates?
MATERIALS:
frosting - ½ cup
fruit roll ups - 2 (3" squares)
graham crackers - 2 squares
plastic spoon
water - 1 cup
sheet of waxed paper (8” x 11”)
HYPOTHESIS:
1.
What do you predict you will observe when you model two pieces of continental crust (graham crackers)
colliding? What type of plate boundary does this model?
2.
What do you predict you will observe when you model continental crust and oceanic crust (fruit roll ups)
colliding? What type of plate boundary does this model?
PROCEDURES:
1. Use the spoon to spread the frosting into a layer about 0.5 cm thick. In this model, the frosting represents the
asthenosphere, the layer on which Earth’s plates ride. The plates in this model are represented by the fruit roll ups
(oceanic crust which is thin and dense) and graham crackers (continental crust which is thick but less dense).
2. Make a divergent plate boundary. Place the two squares of fruit roll up (oceanic plates) onto the frosting right next
to each other. Press down slowly on the fruit roll ups (because they are dense and will sink a bit into the
asthenosphere) as you slowly push them apart about half a cm. Observe what happens to the frosting where the
plates are separated. In the data section, draw a diagram to show what the divergent plate boundary looks like.
Record observations.
3. Make a continental-oceanic convergent boundary. Remove one of the fruit rollups from the frosting (you can eat
this if you want). Place one of the graham cracker halves lightly onto the frosting asthenosphere next to the
remaining fruit roll up piece. The graham cracker represents the continental crust, which is thicker and less dense
than oceanic crust (fruit roll up). It floats high on the asthenosphere so don't push it down.
4. Gently push the continent (graham cracker) towards the ocean plate (fruit roll up) until the two overlap and the
graham cracker is on top. The oceanic plate is subducted below the continental one. In the data table, draw a
diagram to show what this continental-oceanic convergent boundary looks like. Record observations.
5. Make a continental--continental convergent boundary. Remove both the cracker and fruit roll up from the frosting
asthenosphere (you can eat or discard the fruit roll up). Place one edge of both crackers into the glass of water for
just a few seconds. Place the crackers on the frosting with the wet edges next to each other. Slowly push the graham
crackers towards each other. Observe the edges of the graham crackers where they are colliding. In the data table,
draw what this continental-continental convergent boundary looks like. Record observations.
6. Make a transform plate boundary. Pick the two crackers up off the frosting and turn them around so that two dry
edges are next to each other. Push one cracker past the other to simulate a transform plate boundary. In the data
table, draw a diagram to show what the transform boundary looks like. Record Observations.
DATA:
Model #
1 (Step #2)
Label = types of crust, asthenosphere, and the direction of plate movement
Diagram (Drawing + Labels)
Observations
Boundary
2 (Step #4)
3 (Step #5)
4 (Step #6)
Data Analysis Questions: IN COMPLETE SENTENCES (write your answers on lined paper and attach)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Describe in detail what you did in paragraph form, not a list.
What type of crust is represented by the graham crackers?
What type of crust is represented by the fruit roll-up?
What physical layer of the earth does the frosting represent?
What are some of the limitations of the models you’ve created?
What happens when the oceanic plate and the continental plate collide? Why does this happen?
7. What happens when two continental plates collide? What is formed? Why?
8. What happens when two plates slide past each other? What geological activity occurs?
CONCLUSION: What was the purpose of this lab? What did you learn?
http://www.engr.sc.edu/images/centers/cece/lesson_plans/SnackTectonicsLessonPlan.pdf
Model 1
(Step #2)
Model 2
(Step #4)
Model 4
(Step #6)
Model 3 (Step #5)