GRAHAM SLAM TECTONIC PLATE LAB
PROBLEM:
How does movement in tectonic plates affect land formations?
RESEARCH:
View video demo of plate tectonic movements
Materials:
2-4 graham crackers
2 pieces wax paper
http://sv3.berkeley.edu/SEPUP/tectonics
one thin cracker
cake frosting
1 paper plate for trash
knife
HYPOTHESIS: I think that the movement in tectonic plates causes ___student answered this before
doing lab on Tues., 09/22/15 based on the short video clips we watched in class the day before
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PROCEDURES
Part 1
1. You should have 2-4 pieces of graham crackers THAT ALL LOOK THE SAME.
2. Spread a 3 mm layer (thin but covered) of cake frosting on the wax paper.
4. Place two graham crackers on the frosting and firmly but gently press down on the crackers.
4. Carefully move the crackers AWAY from each other.
5. Make DETAILED observations in the results chart for part 1.
6. Re-use 2 pieces of graham crackers for part 2—if needed, put used graham crackers on paper plate
and get 2 more from Mrs. Best.
Part 2
7. Get two graham crackers—hopefully, the 2 you used in part 1.
8. Spread a new layer of cake frosting on the wax paper.
9. Place the graham crackers on the frosting so that they are touching.
10. Bring the graham crackers together and move the pieces IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS back and
forth. Slowly increase the pressure of the graham crackers against each other. If the graham cracker
breaks, don’t worry about it.
11. Make DETAILED observations in the results chart for part 2.
12. Again, if possible, re-use your graham cracker piece—see Mrs. Best if you need new pieces.
Part 3
13. Get two graham crackers—the 2 used before—or 2 new ones, if needed.
14. Spread a new layer of cake frosting on the wax paper.
15. Place the graham crackers on top of the frosting. Be sure and leave a gap between the two
crackers. Move the crackers toward each other.
16. Next, remove one graham cracker and replace it with the thinner cracker. Move the graham cracker
toward the thinner cracker.
17. Make observations in the results chart for part 3.
RESULTS
Direction of
movement
Part 1
Pulling apart
Part 2
Pushing in opposite
direction.
Part 3a
Pushing together 2
of same type
Part 3b
Pushing together a
thicker and thinner
cracker
Observations – Draw & Label
Possible occurrence on earth
Labeled student sketch of what was
observed in pair modeling of divergent
tectonic plate movement
Minor (shallow) earthquakes,
rift valley (if on land—
continental-continental
divergent); mid-ocean ridge
(if under ocean for oceanocean divergent)
Labeled student sketch of what was
observed in pair modeling of transform
tectonic plate movement
Fault line (as in San Andreas
fault in Ca.), shallow
earthquakes (distinct LACK
of volcanoes here)
Crust is neither created nor
destroyed here
Labeled student sketch of what was
observed in pair modeling of convergent
continental-continental tectonic plate
movement
Labeled student sketch of what was
observed in pair modeling of convergent
tectonic plate movement—one oceanic
plate and one continental plate
Major earthquakes,
especially large mountain
range
Ocean trench, volcanoes,
largest earthquakes, volcanic
island chain (if ocean-ocean
convergent), coastal
mountains (if continentocean convergent)
Discussion Questions - You may work as a group to answer these questions on a separate sheet
of paper. Staple the answers to this sheet.
1. What type of plate behavior is represented by Part 1?
2. What landform is created by what happened in Part 1?
3. What happens to the frosting when you move the crackers away from each other?
4. What do the graham crackers represent?
5. What does the frosting under the crackers represent?
6. What does the frosting between the crackers represent?
7. What type of plate behavior is represented by Part 2?
8. What landform is created by what happened in Part 2?
9. What kind of plate movement do we call what is described in Part 2?
10. Why do you suppose the cracker broke?
11. Where in the United States do we find a plate boundary like this?
12. What happens when the crackers move toward each other? What differences, if any did
the collision of the 2 similar crackers have as compared to thicker and thinner?
13. What landforms or events may occur during this type of plate behavior?
14. What happens when one of the crackers (plates) is thinner than the other?