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What is the Theory
of Plate Tectonics?
“It is a theory that
describes the
formation,
movements, and
interactions of
earth’s plates.”
1.
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How can the Grand
Canyon reveal the
history of the Earth?
It’s rock layers show
changes in time.
The oldest rocks are on
the bottom and the
youngest rocks are
on the top.
2.
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3.
Who was James
Hutton? What was
his big discovery?
The Earth is very old
and the Earth is
constantly changing.
James Hutton: The “Father of Geology”
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4.
Who was Alfred
Wegener? What was his
big idea?
Alfred Wegener was a
meteorologist (person
who studies weather.)
He proposed the idea of
continental drift.
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5.
Why was Alfred
Wegener’s proclamation
known as a hypothesis
and not a theory?
Alfred Wegener did not
have the experimental
data to back up his
findings.
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6.
What was Pangaea?
How many millions of
years ago did it start to
exist and when did it
start to break apart?
Pangaea means “all lands”
connected together. It
was a major landmass
that started to break
apart about 200 million
years ago.
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7.
What did scientists
discover in the
middle of the
Atlantic Ocean?
They discovered the
mid-ocean ridge, a
volcanic mountain
chain.
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8.
What is seafloor
spreading?
Seafloor spreading is
when the ocean
floor spreads apart
(diverges) at a
mid-ocean ridge.
9.
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How can rock samples
record the magnetic
field of the earth?
The magnetism (North or
South orientation) of
the planet is recorded
in a rock when the
lava hardens. It gives
us insight into the
past magnetic
orientation of the
Earth at different
times.
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10.
What did Vine and
Matthews discover on
the Sea Floor at the MidAtlantic Ridge?
They discovered that there
are alternating patterns
of north and south the
farther you get away
from the Ridge. They
also found that rocks get
older as you go away
from the Ridge.
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11.
How does the age
of rock change the
farther you go
away from the MidAtlantic Ridge?
Rocks get older as you
go away from the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
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12.
What are 3 ways in which
the Earth’s plates
interact?
Plates can move towards
each other (converge).
Plates can move away
from each other
(diverge). Plates can
slide past each other
(transform).
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13.
What is subduction
and what are the
results of subduction?
Subduction is when one
plate dives under
another plate. The
results of subduction
are volcanoes and
earthquakes.
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14.
How were the Himalaya
mountains formed and
what type of plate
boundary were they
formed upon?
The Himalayas were formed
when the Indian Plate
crashed into the Eurasian
Plate. This is a
convergent collision
boundary.
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15.
What kind of plate boundary
is the San Andreas Fault? In
how many years will the San
Francisco Giants and the Los
Angeles Dodgers be crosstown rivals as a result of
motion along this fault?
The San Andreas Fault is a
transform (strike-slip) type of
fault. It will take around 15
million years for the two
baseball teams to become
cross-town rivals.
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16.
What is thought to be the
main driving force for
plate tectonics in the
asthenosphere and the
lower mantle of the
Earth?
The most accepted idea is
mantle convection. Other
ideas are ridge push and
slab pull. Mantle
Convection Animation #2
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17.
How were the Hawaiian
Islands formed in the
middle of the Pacific
Plate?
The Hawaiian Islands were
formed by a hot spot.
This is when the Pacific
Plate moves Northwest
over the hot spot.
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18.
What happened in New
Madrid, Missouri in 1812?
How does this event give
evidence of plate tectonics
thousands of miles from the
nearest plate boundary?
There was a very large
earthquake. Originally, the
plates were pulling apart
here, forming the fault zone.
Compressional forces now
make this one of the most
dangerous fault zones.
19.
How do fossils and the
finding of exotic terranes
in the Marin Headlands
near San Francisco
support the theory of
Micro-Plate Tectonics?
Fossils of animals and plants
can be found many
miles from their original
place of origin. This
means that they must
have been carried along
with the plates. We call
these lands Exotic
Terranes.
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20.
How did the shapes of
continents shown by
Christopher Scotese
give rise to Alfred
Wegener’s continental
drift hypothesis?
Explain.
Some of the continents are
like puzzle pieces.
They would fit together
if you joined them.
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Living Machine
21.
How does the movement of
continents influence the
migration patterns of sea
turtles to the Ascension
Islands in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean? How is this
evidence for natural selection
within sea turtle species?
Sea turtles have to swim farther and
farther out into the Atlantic
Ocean to reach their breeding
grounds on the Ascension
Islands. Only the individuals
strong enough to make the
swim will evade jaguar
predators and pass their traits
off to offspring.
Brazil
Ascension Islands