This Dynamic Earth The Story of Plate Tectonics http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.

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1. State the Theory of Plate Tectonics.

the Earth's outermost layer is fragmented into a dozen or more large and small plates that are moving relative to one another as they ride atop hotter, more mobile material.
2. What was Pangaea? The Land formation when all the continents were attached to each other How long ago did Pangaea start to break up? 250 million years ago What were Laurasia and Gondwanaland? The two land masses that Alexander Du Toit proposed Pangaea

split up to. Laurasia was the northern hemisphere and Gondwanaland was the south hemisphere
3. What was the theory of continental drift? Continental Drift Theory is the theory that the continents have

drifted apart and are still in motion today

How were each of the following pieces of evidence used by Wegener? Apparent fit of SA and Africa- it appeared as if Africa and South America fit right into each other and could have been split off one another Identical fossils ( name them)- fossils of tropical plants (in the form of coal deposits) showed that life

must not have been closer to the equator and had moved. fossil ferns (Glossopteris)- were discovered in what is now non polar regions and could have survived the climate so they must have had a climate closer to equator where it was warmer and they could survive.
Evidence of climate change coal deposits in Antarctica, polar dinosaurs in Australia Coal deposits werent realistic for a land with a climate similar to Antarctica where there is hardly and vegetation. The deposits were evidence that there was once a luscious forest there. Polar dinosaurs found in Australia suggest that the climate in Australia didnt have the ability to support Polar dinosaurs What was the major flaw that kept Wegeners theory from being accepted? He could answer which forces could move and divide such large land masses 4. Inside the Earth:

Draw a diagram of the Earth and label the lithosphere asthenosphere mantle inner and outer core 5. What is a tectonic plate? a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both

continental and oceanic lithosphere

How are continental plates different from oceanic plates? Continental plates are thicker and less dense. Continental plates are mainly granitic in composition. Oceanic plates are mainly basaltic in composition. The rock of continental plates is on average, much older than the rock of the oceanic plates. The oceanic plate underlies the oceans, and the continental plate makes up the land masses. Continental plates do not subduct at convergent plate boundaries. 6. How does each of the following pieces of evidence support the theory of plate tectonics?

This Dynamic Earth The Story of Plate Tectonics

Age of ocean floor the differences in age between the oceanic and continental crust showed that the oceanic crust must have been formed and reformed many times since the original cooling of the earth. Magnetic striping and polar reversals The magnetic striping of the oceanic crust in the Atlantic clearly shows that the ocean crust is expanding symmetrically away from the mid-Atlantic ridge on an east-west axis Seafloor spreading the fact that the crust is the youngest at the ridge and older towards the continents shows that the new crust must be formed at the ridge Earthquake and volcano patterns Earthquake and volcanic activity is concentrated near these boundaries 7. Describe the ecosystem that exists around a smoker. What are some specific organisms found in this ecosystem? hydrogen sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, which

live symbiotically with the larger organisms

Where does the energy for these ecosystems come from?

The volcanic gases that spew out of the hot springs

8. Explain what happens at each type of plate boundary. Where is new crust formed and where is crust destroyed? Divergent-where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. convergent: where crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another. when ocean plates converge? Oceanic-oceanic crust if subducted under the other and it can form a trench An ocean and a continent plate converge? Oceanic-continental Oceanic crust goes into the asthenosphere Continental plates converge? One goes under the other and mountains are formed due to them pressing up against the other Transform- two plates grind past each other with no (or little) compression or tension can cause

earthquakes
9. What are hotspots? Besides the Hawaiian Islands, what are some other hotspots? A volcanic area that forms

as a tectonic plate moves over a point heated from deep within the Earth's mantle. Yellowstone Is an example as well as Iceland hotspot
10. What forces are thought to cause the movement of the tectonic plates, and how do they work? the slow

movement of hot, softened mantle that lies below the rigid plates is one thought to be cause. The mantle acts like a conveyor belt around earth and carries the continents. Explain what convections currents are. the circular motion in a liquid caused by heating and cooling.
What are the sources of heat in the Earths interior? Radioactive decay and residual heat 11. Read about plate tectonics and people. After you have read about the disasters, make sure that you read the section about minerals and ore deposits. Bonus: what went on before the breakup of Pangaea? Pangaea itself may have been formed by the aggregation

of separate continents that drifted back together after the break-up of an older supercontinent that existed about 550 million years ago.
Why is Easter Island significant ? Easter Island is important because we have evidence that links ancient civilizations of easter island to ancient civilizations in near asia