Plate Tectonics

​Tectonic Plates

1. Earth's geography has changed over time and continues to change today.
2. some places are prone to earthquakes while others are not.
3. certain regions may have deadly, mild, or no volcanic eruptions.
4. mountain ranges are located where they are.
5. many ore deposits are located where they are.
6. living and fossil species of plants and animals are found where they are.
7. some continental margins have a lot of geological activity, and some have none.

plate Tectonics Theory explains why:

​Plate tectonic motions affect Earth’s rock cycle, climate, and the evolution

•brings together continental drift and seafloor spreading theories.
•Plates are made of lithosphere topped with oceanic and/or continental crust.
•The plates are moved around on Earth's surface by seafloor spreading.
•Convection in the mantle drives seafloor spreading.
•Oceanic crust is created at mid-ocean ridges.
• The crust moves outward from the ridge over time.
• The crust may eventually sink into the mantle and be destroyed.
• If a continent sits on a plate with a mid-ocean ridge, the continent will be pushed along.

Plate Tectonics Theory

• where 2 plates meet
• 3 types of plate boundaries since there are three ways that plates can meet.
1. divergent plate boundaries
Plates can move away from each other
2. convergent plate boundary
They can move toward each other
3. transform plate boundary
They can slide past each other

pLATE BOUNDARIES

PLATE bOUNDARIES

• The features seen at a plate boundary are determined by the direction of plate motion and by the type of crust found at the boundary.

Geological activity occurs as plates interact: includes volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building.

Earthquakes & Seismographs

• An earthquake is the sudden movement of the Earth's crust.
  

• Earthquakes occur along fault lines. They are detected using devices called seismographs, which measure ground motion and produce images showing how these vibrations travel over time.