Copy of Lab 03 Plate Tectonics-Szabo
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University of Wisconsin, Madison *
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106
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Geology
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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GEOSCI/ENVIR ST-106: Environmental Geology
Lab 3: Evidence for Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics: “A theory explaining the structure of the Earth as resulting from the interaction
of rigid lithospheric plates which move slowly over the underlying mantle.”
Assignment Overview:
The processes of plate
tectonics largely take place at depths of
hundreds of kilometers, making them largely
invisible. (For context, the deepest hole ever
drilled reached just over 10 km - we’ve never
seen
what is pictured in the diagram to the left).
Therefore, over the past 60+ years, geologists
have amassed a wealth of data in an effort to
test and refine the theory of plate tectonics that’s
described in your textbook. The result is a set of
global scientific datasets that help us to
understand how the Earth is being continuously
reshaped by plate tectonic actions. In this lab, you will interpret and verify how these global
datasets -- collected by geoscientists with different scientific specialties -- support the key ideas
of plate tectonics.
Instructions:
Fill out each red highlighted field (_________)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1.
This lab will use several large .PDF map files. In comparing and integrating data from
different sources, you may find it useful to open all of the maps at once and alternate between
windows. Answering some questions may also require that you zoom and scroll through
sections of the map. On the Mac side, you may find this to be more fluid when using Preview
instead of Acrobat Reader DC.
2. Please note that important information describing the data in each map is found along the
left-hand side of each map. You will need to read these notes to be able to interpret the map
data.
Submission:
To submit the assignment on Canvas, use the following steps:
1.
In Google Docs, generate a PDF: File → Download as → PDF Document.
2.
In Google Docs, use Share → Get Shareable Link, and copy the link address.
3.
In Canvas, upload your PDF to the assignment.
4.
In Canvas, paste the link address to your Google Doc in the assignment comments.
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Assignment Questions and Responses (2 points each)
For each of the questions below, provide answers that are complete thoughts, of no more than
2-3 sentences. Where possible, utilize geologic terminology about plate tectonics and plate
boundaries in your descriptions. You may want to review these concepts from your textbook, as
well as the associated images that describe different plate boundaries, in order to interpret the
data in these maps.
Terms:
Convergent plate boundary
(oceanic-oceanic,
oceanic-continental, and
continental-continental)
Divergent plate boundary
Mid-ocean Ridge
Passive continental margin
Active continental margin
Hot Spot
Geochronology
1. Where is the youngest ocean floor located? Where is the oldest ocean floor located?
____The youngest ocean floor is all along the middle of the Pacific and Atlantic or along the
edges of the tectonic plates where they collide with other plates. In the active continental
margin.
The oldest are located along the coasts in the middle of the tectonic plates. This is the passive
continental margin_____
2. The distance between two points in South America and Africa that seem to “fit” is almost
exactly 5,000 km, or 5,000,000 m. Using ocean floor age data, what’s the average velocity at
which these two continents seem to have been moving apart since the Atlantic formed?
____
5051/100 mil yrs (approx.)= 0.00005051 km/yr
_____
2
Seismology
3. Note the distribution of earthquakes on the map: where are areas of earthquake activity
concentrated?
Most earthquakes are located along the middle of the ocean floor and around southern Europe.
Eurasian plate boundary, Pacific plate boundary, and the Australian plate boundary have deeper
earthquakes. _____
4. What type of plate boundary(s) are associated with the deeper earthquakes?
____Convergent plate boundaries, due to subduction. Oceanic-continental convergent plate
boundary. _____
5. What type of plate boundary(s) are exclusively associated with shallow earthquakes?
____Trasnform plates _____
Volcanology (Note: most submarine volcanoes are not shown.)
6. Note the distribution of volcanoes on this map: where are areas of volcanic activity?
____Along the tectonic plates, Alaska, Japan, west coast of North America to South America.
There are many on the Pacific plate and Australian plate, these could be hotspots. _____
7. What type of plate boundary(s) are associated with volcanoes?
_____Convergent plate boundaries, Continental-Continental convergent boundaries____
Geography
8. Write down the location of two deep ocean trenches. How deep are these trenches?
____Along the Pacific side of Japan, the bottom tip of Alaska. These trenches are 10400 meters
below sea level. _____
9. What types of plate boundaries are associated with deep ocean trenches?
____Convergent plate boundaries. Oceanic-Oceanic convergent plates. _____
Synthesis
10. What piece(s) of evidence could be used to determine the rate and direction of plate
motion?
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____You can use earthquakes and the direction the tectonic plates are moving which can be
measured by the direction the earthquakes are happening. You could also use the distance
between 2 continents and compare it to the distance of those 2 plates millions of years ago like
we did in problem 2. _____
11. Why do you think the oldest ocean floor is located only along passive continental margins?
____The oldest ocean floor is located there because that is the middle of the tectonic plate so it
does not collide with or separate from any other plates so there is no need to make a new crust
or ocean floor. That Ocean floor is not disturbed so it stays the same. _____
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