Plate Tectonics Notes
Alfred Wegener
* proposed that at one time the Earth had one giant landmass
that split apart: called _______________.
His idea was called: Theory of Continental Drift (old theory)
which states that parts of the Earth's crust
________________________ atop a liquid core
There is a lot of Evidence or proof
Evidence # 1
1. Continents fit like a ___________________.
Evidence #2
2. Fossil evidence: __________________– reptile fossil found
only in South America & Africa.
Evidence # 3
3. Rock structures or layers of
________________________________. There are similarities in layers
on two different continents.
Last but not least Evidence # 4
4. Glacial __________________ found on warm climate areas.
Theory of Plate Tectonics
Plate tectonics is the theory that the outer rigid layer of the
earth (the lithosphere) is divided into a couple of
__________________________that move around across the earth's
surface relative to each other, like slabs of ice on a lake.
Divergent Boundaries
A divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear
feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are
__________________________from each other.
Convergent Boundaries
A convergent boundary is an actively deforming region where two
(or more) tectonic plates or fragments of the
lithosphere________________________________________.
Subduction
When an oceanic plate goes ______________________or is subducted
under a continental plate it is called subduction.
•This forms a trench, or deep valley, where the plates meet.
•An example of a subduction zone is the
__________________________ where the Pacific Plate is subducting
under the Eurasian Plate.
•Subduction is another type of a convergent plate movement.
Transform Boundaries
Are places where plates ____________________past each other. At
transform boundaries lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed.
Many transform boundaries are found on the sea floor, where they
connect segments of diverging mid-ocean ridges. California's San
Andreas fault is a________________________.
Plate Boundaries
This picture shows where all the plates are located and their
names.
