Completed Discovering Plate Tectonics Lab - Morgan Jones
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School
Colorado State University, Fort Collins *
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Course
364
Subject
Geology
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
9
Uploaded by mq.joness
GEOL 121
Name ___________________________________
Lab Section _______________
D
ISCOVERING
P
LATE
T
ECTONICS
Learning Objectives:
○
Summarize plate tectonics and demonstrate understanding of plate motions
○
Describe the features and processes found at different plate boundaries and
explain why they are found there
○
Developing geoscientific skills: analyzing/interpreting data; reading maps;
practicing quantitative skills; thinking in 3D
○
Understand that scientific inquiry is an ongoing/dynamic process; role of
evidence and technology in inquiry
Part 1: Expert analysis
(2pts.)
Geoscientists from different expertise areas will often collaborate to understand complex
problems. We are going to model this approach by having each of you become an expert on
one type of data. You will then share your understanding of that data with the rest of the group.
Instructions
:
Your TA will assign you one of the data sets listed below. Work with your expert group to
examine your dataset and answer the questions below.
Expert Groups (Circle Assigned Topic)
Seismology · Volcanology · Geochronology · Geography/Topography
1.
What is your data telling you? What do the symbols and colors mean?
2.
Compare your data to the Plate Boundary Map on the next page of this worksheet. Note any
differences or similarities.
3.
How does your data act on or near plate boundaries? (Examples: narrow/straight/curved,
symmetric/asymmetric, deep/shallow, active/inactive, ridge/valley, etc)
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Part 2: Examining Known Plate Boundaries
You will now examine sets of maps that show four different boundary types: divergent,
transform, convergent with subduction, and convergent without subduction. Answer the
following questions for each boundary type.
A) Divergent Boundaries (2pts.)
There are two pages showing divergent boundaries. One shows the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, in
the center of the Atlantic Ocean. The other shows a comparison of mid-ocean ridges that
are spreading (creating new ocean crust) at different rates, to give you an idea of how
different divergent boundaries can appear.
1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology,
Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary.
2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features
could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others?
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Discovering Plate Tectonics
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B) Transform Boundaries (2pts.)
There is one page showing a transform boundary along the western side of North America.
1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology,
Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary.
2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features
could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others?
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C) Convergent Boundary with Subduction (2pts.)
There are two pages showing convergent boundaries with subduction: one near Fiji in the
southwestern Pacific Ocean, and one along the west coast of South America.
1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology,
Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary.
2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features
could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others?
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D) Convergent Boundary without Subduction (2pts.)
There is one pages showing a convergent boundary where subduction is not taking place in
the Himalayan Mountains where India is colliding with Eurasia.
1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology,
Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary.
2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features
could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others?
Check in with your TA before proceeding to Part 3.
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Part 3: Unknown Boundaries
Now that you have developed a mental model of what each of the datasets does at different
plate boundary types, your challenge is to use the data to identify some unknown boundaries.
A) Unknown Boundary 1 (2pts.)
1) What type of boundary is there in this map?
2) How do you know? What is your evidence?
B) Unknown Boundary 2 (2pts.)
1) What type of boundary is there in this map?
2) How do you know? What is your evidence?
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C) Unknown Boundary 3 (2pts.)
1) What type of boundary is there in this map?
2) How do you know? What is your evidence?
D) Unknown Boundary 4 (2pts.)
1) What types of boundaries is there in this map (there is more than one type)?
2) How do you know? What is your evidence?
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Part 4: Reflection
(2pts.)
1) What are three things that you learned from this lab?
2) What questions do you still have about identifying plate boundaries?
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