Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____

Plate Tectonics Web-Quest

PartI: Earths Structure. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/structure.htm l
1. a!el the layers of "arth in the diagram !elow.
#. $he lithosphere is made up of the crust and a tiny !it of the _________ ___________.
%. $he plates of the lithosphere move &or float' on this hot( mallea!le __________ _________
)one in the upper mantle( directly underneath the lithosphere. $his is known as the
_______________________.
*. $he layer of "arth that is the only li+uid layer is the igneous layer.
Part II. Plate Tectonics. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/drift.htm l
A B
False
1. $rue or ,alse- .mage / depicts what "arth looks like today. &circle the correctanswer'
Crust
Mantle
Inner
Core
Outer Core
Mantle
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
#.0hat did "arth look like #12 million years ago- $he continents of "arth were clustered
together in formation that a scientist named pangaea. $he scientist that named
3Pangaea4 was a 5erman scientist !y the name of /lfred 0egener. 6e theori)ed that
3Pangaea7 split apart and the different landmasses( or continents( drifted to their current
locations on the glo!e. 0egener8s theories of plate movement !ecame the !asis for the
development of the theory of plate tectonics.
%. 9rder the images of "arth8s plates in order from oldest or earliest &1' to most recent &1'.
Last 1 = 1 2
nd
to 1
st
=2
nd
Middle is 3
rd
4
th
to last is 4
th
1
st
is 5th
Part III. Plates and Boundaries. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/plate.htm l
1. Name the missing tectonic plates in the !lanks on the image !elow.
African
#. $he place where the two plates meet is called a transform. :oundaries have different names
depending on how the two plates are moving in relationship to each other.
/. .f two plates are pushing towards each other it is called a ;onversion.
:. .f two plates are moving apart from each other it is called a Divergent.
NA Plate
Pacifc
Plate
SA Plate
Afcan
Plate
Antarctic
Plate
Eurasian
Plate
Australian
Plate
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
;. .f two plates are sliding past each other it is a called a transform.
%. a!el the type of !oundary depicted in each image !elow.
*. Plates and :oundaries ;hallenge. ,ollow directions for the challenge. <ecord your results
!elow:
Part .. Num!er of correctly placed plates = >
Part ... Num!er of !oundary types correctly la!eled = 11/##
Part IV. Slip, Slide, and Collide. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/slip.htm l
1. /t coner!ent boundaries( tectonic plates collide with each other. $he events that occur
at these !oundaries are linked to the types of plates &oceanic or continental' that are
interacting.
Subduction "ones and Volcanoes
/t some convergent !oundaries( an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate.
9ceanic crust tends to !e denser and thinner than continental crust( so the denser oceanic
crust gets !ent and pulled under( or su!ducted( !eneath the lighter and thicker continental
crust. $his forms what is called a subduction #one. /s the oceanic crust sinks( a deep
oceanic trenches( or valley( is formed at the edge of the continent. $he crust continues to
!e forced deeper into the earth( where high heat and pressure cause trapped water and
other gasses to !e released from it. $his( in turn( makes the !ase of the crust melt( forming
magma. $he magma formed at a su!duction )one rises up toward the earth?s surface and
!uilds up in magma cham!ers( where it feeds and creates volcanos on the overriding
plate. 0hen this magma finds its way to
Transform Divergent Conversion
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
the surface through a vent in the crust( the volcano erupts( e@pelling lava and
ash. /n e@ample of this is the !and of active volcanoes that encircle the Pacific 9cean(
often referred to as the <ing of ,ire.
<oll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words !elow:
Au!duction Bone C 1 plate is pulled under the area of another
Dagma C molten rock( gasses( solid crystals( and minerals
$rench C steepEsided depression on ocean floor
Folcano C vent on earths surface where magma and gasses erupt
Folcanic /rc C /rc shaped chain of volcanos formed a!ove a su!duction )one.
,ill in the type of crust converging in the image !elow.
/ su!duction )one is also generated when two oceanic plates collide G the older plate is
forced under the younger one( and it leads to the formation of chains of volcanic islands
known as Folcanic /rc.
Collision "ones and $ountains
0hat happens when two continental plates collide- :ecause the rock making up
continental plates is generally lighter and less dense than oceanic rock( it is too light to get
pulled under the earth and turned into magma. .nstead( a collision !etween two continental
plates crunches and folds the rock at the !oundary( lifting it up and leading to the formation
of mountains .
Continental
Crust
Oceanic
Crust
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
,ill in the type of crust converging in the image !elow.
<oll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words !elow:
;ontinental ;rust C "arths crust that makes up continents
Dountain C large high mass on earth that rises up a!ove earths surface with steel slopes
and slides
#. /t dier!ent boundaries( tectonic plates are moving away from each other. 9ne result of
huge masses of crust moving apart is sea floor spreading. $his occurs when two plates
made of oceanic crust pull apart. / crack in the ocean floor appears and then magma
oo)es up from the mantle to fill in the space !etween the plates( forming a raised ridge
called a _______________ ___________. $he magma also spreads outward( forming
_________ ocean floor and _________ oceanic crust.
0hen two _______________ plates diverge( a valleyElike rift develops. $his __________ is
a dropped )one where the plates are pulling apart. /s the crust widens and thins( valleys
form in and around the area( as do _______________( which may !ecome increasingly
active. "arly in the rift formation( streams and rivers flow into the low valleys and long(
narrow lakes can !e created. "ventually( the widening crust along the divergent !oundary
may !ecome thin enough that a piece of the continent !reaks off( forming a new tectonic
plate.
Continental
Crust
Continenta
l Crust
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
%. /t trans%or& boundaries( tectonic plates are not moving directly toward or directly away
from each other. .nstead( two tectonic plates ___________ past each other in a hori)ontal
direction. $his kind of !oundary results in a _________. / fault is a crack or ___________
in the earth?s crust that is associated with this movement.
$ransform !oundaries and the resulting faults produce many ________________ !ecause
edges of tectonic plates are Hagged rather than ____________. /s the plates grind past
each other( the Hagged edges strike each other( catch( and stick( 7locking7 the plates in
place for a time. :ecause the plates are locked together without moving( a lot of
____________ !uilds up at the fault line. $his stress is released in +uick !ursts when the
plates suddenly slip into new positions. $he sudden movement is what we feel as the
shaking and trem!ling of an earth+uake.
$he motion of the plates at a transform !oundary has given this type of fault another name(
a _________________ ____________. $he !estEstudied strikeEslip fault is the Aan
/ndreas ,ault in _______________.
*. ;omplete the Plate .nteractions ;hallenge and $est Akills +uestions.
Dy score for Plate .nteractions ;hallenge = __________________________
Dy score for $est Akills +uestions = _______ out of %2 or ____ I____
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
Part V. Questions 'ou should be able to ans(er no( that 'ou co&pleted this (eb)uest.
Note E you may go !ack to the we!site and review to assist in answering the
following +uestions.
;onvergent :oundary
&ocean C continental'
;onvergent :oundary
&ocean C ocean'
;onvergent :oundary
&continental C continental'
1. DeepEocean ________________ and
_______________ are created !y convergent
!oundaries of ocean and continental crust.
#. DeepEocean _________________ (
________________( and _____________ are
created !y convergent !oundaries of ocean
and ocean crust.
%. ________________________ are created !y
convergent !oundaries of continental and
continental crust.
*. /nother type of !oundary neither creates nor
consumes crust. $his type of !oundary is called a
_________________ !oundary !ecause two
plates move against each other( !uilding up
tension( then release the tension is a sudden Herk
of land called an
_________________
___.
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
*. ;ircle the correct type of !oundary for each description!elow:
/. $he!oundarywheretwoplatesmeetandtrenchesareformed.
Coner!ent
:. $heplatesmoveawayfromeachotherallowingmagmatocreatenewoceancrust.
*ier!ent
;. $heplatesmoveinoppositedirections!uildinguptensionuntiltheyslipcausing
earth+uakes.
Trans%or&
1. a!el each type of !oundary as either: *ier!ent, Coner!ent, or Trans%or& Boundar':
hh
/. _______________________convergent________
:. _____________________transform_________
hh
;. _____________________dier!ent________
$he end. Please take a minute and look over your we!E+uest to make sure you answered
all +uestions and completed all tasks. Dake sure your name is on the front and turn it in.