Plate Tectonics: Name: Krisia Marie Amac Bsge 3A

Name: Krisia Marie Amac
BSGE 3A
PLATE TECTONICS
Have you ever wondered how Earth is similar to jigsaw puzzle? If you do, this video
is just for you for we will talk about Plate Tectonics. What are plate tectonics? First let
us define the word plate.
● DEFINITION
● A PLATE is a large, rigid slab of solid rock. Plates are formed from the
lithosphere: the crust and the upper part of the mantle. The plates “float” on
the slowly flowing asthenosphere: the lower part of the mantle. The plates
include both the land and ocean floor. The Mohoriovicic discontinuity or
Moho is the boundary between the crust and the mantle.
● Tectonic on the other hand, is the deformation of rocks that makes up the
Earth’s crust and the forces that produced such deformation.
● Therefore, Plate Tectonic is a theory explaining the structure of the

earth's crust and many associated phenomena as resulting from the
interaction of rigid lithospheric plates which move slowly over the
underlying mantle.
● It simply means that plate tectonic is the movement and interaction of the
Earth’s plate.
● PROPONENT
Who first proposed the idea of plate tectonics?
• Alfred Wegener is a German meteorologist he is often credited as the first to
develop a theory of plate tectonics, in the form of continental drift in 1912.
• Alfred Wegener the continent was actually a one large piece which he then called
as Pangea but as the time passes by the continents are slowly drifting away from
each other and here are some of the pictures or the evidences.
Harry Hess supported Alfred Wegener’s theory on continental drift, and proposed
that the movement of the continents was a result of sea floor spreading.
Now the questions are, how did the continents drift away from each other? How did it
happen? What drives the tectonic plates?
Again, earth is composed of cores they are the following

1. OUTER CORE- The liquid outer core has an extreme temperature (between
4500 degree Celsius and 5,500 degree Celsius) melts the metal contained in this
layer into liquid form.
2. INNER CORE- The inner core is solid and just like the outer core they are both
having an extreme high temperature which is 5,200 degree Celsius. Due to its
pressure it compacts everything down making it solid despite the below melting
temperature.
What causes the plate tectonics?

• The slow movement of hot, softened mantle lies below rigid plates.
• The hot, softened rock in the mantle moves in a circular manner in a convection
flow. The convection flow is what drives the tectonic it occurs when the heated,
molten rock rises to the surface, spreads, and begins to cool, and then sinks
back down to be reheated and rises again.
Here is a more comprehensive figure
The upward arrow shows or represent the molten rocks that rises from the surface,
soon as it cools down the molten rocks will expand. The expansion causes oceanic
crust or the crust to drift apart.
PLATE BOUNDARIES
Plate Boundaries are very much related to the Plate tectonics hence, it talks about the
different movement of the plates. There are actually 3 types of boundaries and they are
the following:
1) Convergent boundaries come together
• Places where crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another
2) Divergent boundaries spread apart
• Places where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each
other
• New crust is created from magma pushing up from the mantle
3) Transform boundaries slide against each other
• Places where crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the plates slide
horizontally past each other
⮚ CONVERGENT
✔ When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary. The

impact of the colliding plates can cause the edges of one or both plates to buckle
up into a mountain ranges or one of the plates may bend down into a deep
seafloor trench or the subduction process. Subduction process is where the
oceanic crust subduct to the continental crust causing to form volcanoes for it is
believed that oceanic is denser than the continental. A chain of volcanoes often
forms parallel to convergent plate boundaries and powerful earthquakes are
common along these boundaries. The Pacific Ring of Fire is an example of a
convergent plate boundary. Pacific ring of fire is an example hence they are form
through the subduction process it occurs when 2 plates are converging, meeting
towards each other. The reason why the volcanoes are distributed randomly to
the edges of the continents because it is a subduction zone.
⮚ DIVERGENT
• A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each
other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten
rock) rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new
oceanic crust. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of divergent plate
boundaries.
Transform Plate Boundaries

Two plates sliding past each other forms a transform plate boundary. One of
the most famous transform plate boundaries occurs at the San Andreas fault zone,
which extends underwater. Natural or human-made structures that cross a transform
boundary are offset — split into pieces and carried in opposite directions. Rocks that
line the boundary are pulverized as the plates grind along, creating a linear fault valley
or undersea canyon. Earthquakes are common along these faults. In contrast to
convergent and divergent boundaries, crust is cracked and broken at transform
margins, but is not created or destroyed.
DEVICES USED IN MEASURING THE PLATE TECTONICS

1. GPS - By installing high accuracy GPS receivers on each plate, scientists can
record the speed and direction that each plate is travelling in. Once installed,
these receivers can operate for decades, allowing scientists to analyse any
changes to the direction of each plate's movement.
2. Seismographs - Seismographs works by detecting and measuring vibrations in

the ground caused by earthquakes or the movement of plates.

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Name: Krisia Marie Amac

● Therefore, Plate Tectonic is a theory explaining the structure of the

Again, earth is composed of cores they are the following

What causes the plate tectonics?

✔ When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary. The

Transform Plate Boundaries

DEVICES USED IN MEASURING THE PLATE TECTONICS

2. Seismographs - Seismographs works by detecting and measuring vibrations in

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