Lesson 4- Plate Tectonics
Learning Goals: By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Learn about plate tectonics
- Learn the relationship of plate tectonics with earthquakes and volcanos.
- Learn about Pangea
Success Criteria: By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Identify the relationship between plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes
- Analyze how plate tectonics affect where humans live.
- What are your thoughts on volcanoes and earthquakes? Does it scare you or are you fascinated by them?
Pangea
Plate tectonics
Continental drift
Volcano
Earthquake
The surface of the Earth is like a giant jigsaw puzzle, made of pieces. These pieces, called “tectonic plates”, move and bump into each other.
This bumping creates earthquakes, which slowly push the ground surface upward to make mountains. It happens so slowly that, in fact, you are getting taller faster than mountains do. Mountains keep growing and growing and growing for many millions of years until they are so heavy they can no longer grow taller, only wide
1) Do you think it's dangerous to live on the edges/boundaries of plate tectonics? Why? Explain what natural disasters that could occur, and why this would affect our living choices.
2) Japan sits on the boundary of four tectonic plates. What natural disaster occurs often in Japan because of its location?Plate tectonics: The theory that the earth’s surface (crust) is divided into about 20 floating slabs that interact with one another in constant motion. These slabs are floating on a layer of molten rock called magma which allows them to move slowly in one direction by a few cm each year.
These plates can interact in 1 of 3 ways.
Convergent boundary:
(subduction zone)
builds mountains
Divergent boundary:
builds oceans
Transform boundary:
No obvious landscape
