Plate Tectonics and fun Earth Stuff

Set Up

- 1 large graham cracker- 2 3-in squares of fruit roll up- 1 cup of water- Frosting/cool whip- Wax paper or plate- Plastic spoon

http://learningplatetectonics.weebly.com/activity.html

1. Convergent Plate Boundaries

1. Convergent Plate Boundaries

• Plates come together and push crust up to the surface

• Occurs between continental-continental crust

• The continental crust has the same density, so the crust crumbles and is pushed upward • Nothing can float because nothing is less dense!

• Occurs when there is no interaction with oceanic crust• Mountains form inside the continents, not on the coast line

1. Mountain Formation

Only dip the

graham

cracker 1 cm

(width of your

pinkie finger)

into the water

1. Mountain Formation Questions

1. Describe the movement of the plates.

2. What happened to the continental crust after the collision?

3. Why do the similarities in crust density make a difference in the movement of the crust?

4. How did shifting of the tectonic plates cause a change in the surface of the earth?

2. Convergent Plate Boundaries

2. Convergent Plate Boundaries• When Oceanic-Continental Crust get pushed together

• Oceanic crust is more dense, Continental crust is less dense• Oceanic crust subducts (sinks) below continental crust• Continental crust is pushed towards the surface

• Forms mountain ranges near edges of continents• This is where oceanic crust and continental crust interact

• Forms Volcanoes • Friction between the crust heats up the mantle below• Mantle melts and turns into magma• Hot magma is forced to the surface because hot temperatures are less dense• Magma erupts through newly formed volcanic mountains

2. Volcanoes

1. Describe the movement of the plates.

2. Why did the continental crust end up on top of the oceanic crust?

3. If this were real rocks, What would happen to the oceanic crust after the collision?

4. Why could magma reach the surface?

5. How did shifting of the tectonic plates cause a change in the surface of the earth?

2. Volcanoes

3. Transform Plate Boundaries

3. Transform Plate Boundaries• Two plates slide across each other in opposite directions

• Can occur between continental-continental or oceanic-oceanic plates

• Plates shift along a fault line (edges of the tectonic plates)

• Neither plate is pushed up or down because the densities are the same• Grinds down the edges of the plate

• Plates shifting cause earthquakes because of the damage to the crust along the fault line

3. Earthquakes

1. Describe the movement of the plates.

2. What happened to the crust as they slid across each other?

3. How does this movement generate earthquakes?

4. How did shifting of the tectonic plates cause a change in the surface of the earth?

3. Earthquakes

4. Divergent Plate Boundaries

• Plates move away from each other • crust and lithosphere move apart

• Occurs between oceanic -oceanic crust collision

• Asthenosphere and magma rises through the crack in the crust• Magma comes into contact with the ocean water and immediately cools

• Magma hardens into peaks to form new ocean crust

• Forms mid-oceanic ridges• These are “mountains” under the ocean

4. Divergent Plate Boundaries

4. Mid-Oceanic Ridges

4. Mid-Oceanic Ridges

1. Describe the movement of the plates.

2. What happens to the pieces of oceanic crust?

3. What happens to the asthenosphere?

4. How did shifting of the tectonic plates cause a change in the surface of the earth?

5. Weathering and ErosionChemical Erosion

Water Erosion

Wind Erosion

Glacier Erosion

• Weathering is the process that breaks larger rocks into smaller ones

• Erosion is the process that moves the smaller broken rocks

• There are 4 main types of weathering/erosion:• Chemical weathering= Acid Rain• Water erosion= flowing water “cuts” rocks• Wind erosion= wind blows small particles away• Glacier weathering= large ice chunks smash rocks below it as it moves

• Weathering and Erosion are surface activities that are not caused by the movement of plate tectonics

5. Weathering and Erosion

5. Create a Canyon

•Place filled water bucket over the sand filled erosion table

• Slowly allow the water to flow out of the bucket into the sand

•Collect the water from the end of the erosion table and repeat the first 2 steps

5. Create a Canyon

1. What happened to the sand after the first bucket of water?

2. How did second bucket of water change the erosion?

3. Did tectonic plates play a role in weathering/erosion? Explain your thinking.

6. New Continent Found

1.How does the confirmation of this “new” continent help prove the theory of plate tectonics?

7. Different plate boundaries on Earth

At the following plate boundaries:

1. Determine what type of plate boundary exists (convergent, divergent, or transform)

2. Predict the changing land mass that will exist at the plate boundary

3. How did shifting of the tectonic plates cause a change in the surface of the earth?

7. Different plate boundaries on Earth