Engaging Plate Tectonics Lab: Maps, Models, and Concepts

Plate Tectonics Lab Name_________ahmad atris _______________________________ This Plate Tectonics lab contains several parts that build upon each other. Many of the pages are maps to be included in your submission. This will take a few hours. I think this is worthwhile. And you get to use scissors and glue! Woohoo! Make some popcorn, put on a good album (OG!), and have a good time. Objectives - After completing this lab, the student will be able to… Assemble a map of Earth’s lithosphere plates and correctly name each major plate. Explain Wegener’s theory of continental drift, the evidence, why it was rejected, why it was revived. Explain the fundamentals of plate tectonic theory, what happens, what drives the process. Describe fossil evidence for plate tectonics. Describe the relationship between plate boundaries, earthquakes and volcanoes. Describe how the pattern of mountains, volcanoes & EQs support the theory of plate tectonics. Describe the main features that characterize Earth’s oceans, oceanic islands and continents. Describe the formation of hotspots and how resulting island chains support plate tectonic theory. Identify the driving forces behind plate tectonics. Describe the rate of motion of lithospheric plates. Explain the formation and feature differences between active & passive continental margins. Part 1 Plate Tectonics Vocabulary ( ⅓ point each) In the three vocabulary sections below, choose the provided term that best matches the definition. boundary collision zone convergent divergent magma transform trench tsunami 1. _________collision zone__________________ place where 2 continental plates converge, fold and lift boundary rocks into mountains 2. ______magma_____________________ molten rock under (not on) Earth's surface containing gasses, liquids, & crystals 3. ___________divergent________________ type of plate boundary where 2 plates are moving apart from each other 4. ___________boundary________________ any border between two tectonic plates 5. ____________convergent_______________ type of plate boundary where two plates are pushing toward each other. 6. ____________transform_______________ type of plate boundary in which two plates slide past each other 7. ____________trench_______________ deep valley formed at the edge of a continent when an oceanic plate sinks under a continental plate 8. _______trusnami____________________ large ocean wave caused by ocean ﬂoor movement from earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption

asthenosphere / continental / crust / inner core / lithosphere / outer core / mantle / tectonic plates 9. __________continental_______________ type of crust under Earth’s continents, ~20-40mi/35-70km thick, old, 2.7 g/cm 3 low-density granite 10. __________crust______________ Earth's outermost & thinnest layer, rigid, 5km thick under oceans & averaging 30 km under continents 11. _____________outer core___________ layer between the mantle and the solid inner core, liquid, mostly Fe & Ni, ~1,400 mi/2,300 km thick 12. ______inner core__________________ innermost layer of the earth, an extremely hot, solid sphere of mostly iron & nickel 13. ___________mantle_____________ hot semi-solid dense Earth layer directly below the crust, ~1,800 mi/2,900 km thick ~2.9 g/cm 3 14. __________asthnopshere______________ hot, malleable semi-liquid ﬂowing zone in the upper mantle, directly beneath the lithosphere on which the plates move 15. ________litosphere________________ cohesive portion of Earth’s crust & upper mantle that move together, broken into several constantly (very slowly) moving plates of solid rock that hold the continents and oceans 16. ________tectonic plates________________ pieces of Earth’s lithosphere that comprise Earth’s continental and oceanic crust, slowly, constantly moving ____________________________________ earthquake / fault / mid-ocean ridge / oceanic / Pangaea / rift / seaﬂoor spreading / subduction zone 17. ______fault__________________ crack or fracture in Earth's crust where 2 plates grind past each other in a horizontal direction 18. ____________sea ﬂoor spreading____________ process forming new ocean & crust in which magma rises from the mantle spreading out 19. _______oceanic_________________ type of crust lying under oceans, 4-6 mi/7-10 km thick, usually younger than continental crust, basaltic 20. _______rift_________________ dropped zone where two tectonic plates are pulling apart 21. _____mid ocean ridge___________________ raised area or mt range under the oceans formed when magma fills space between two tectonic plates 22. _________pangaea_______________ supercontinent 225 million years ago when present-day continents joined in one large landmass 23. __________earth quake______________ shaking of Earth's surface due to sudden release of energy 24. __________subduction zone______________ place where one plate is getting bent and pulled under the edge of another plate

Part 2 - Assembling a Mysterious Puzzle Map & Interpreting Plate Motion Find the jigsaw puzzle on the next page. Cut out the puzzle pieces along the dotted lines. Leave the numbers/letters attached. Assemble your puzzle pieces and glue on the following blank page. 25. What is the assembled puzzle? (Yes, the question really is this easy.) World map with each tectonic 26. What do the pieces of the puzzle represent? (Also easy.) They show each tectonic plate including south america, north america, eurasian plate and african plate 27. Would this puzzle have made sense to a geology student 120 years ago? Why or why not? Recall the history of plate tectonics from our film review Colliding Continents ( YouTube ) and our study sheet and what was known then. (Ignore this question if your class did not watch Colliding continents.) No because 120 years ago tectonic plates were not discovered and geology students wouldnt have known what it is. 28. Write the names of the lithospheric plates on your assembled map using this plate map as a guide. You can zoom out on a Mac or PC to view the entire map on your screen. Do not answer here. x 29. Using this plate map as a reference , on each major plate on your puzzle, draw one arrow indicating the average direction of motion and write the speed of motion in mm/yr. How do you know the rate and direction of plate motion? Look at the key in the top left corner of the map. It will show you how to recognize that. When giving the rate for a plate, just estimate an average of the values given. Yes, draw an arrow and write a number on each puzzle piece to show the rate & direction of plate motion . Draw only one arrow and one average mm/year on each plate. Don’t overthink this: just an arrow and number for each plate.

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LEFT BLANK TO CUT OUT PUZZLE PIECES ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SHEET IF YOU PRINT DOUBLE SIDED.

Assemble the puzzle pieces from Part 2 here, gluing them down. (Geology is difficult!) Write the names of each puzzle piece. Indicate with arrows the direction and rate of movement. In the next few labs, you will be using directions. The compass rose below may help.

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Part 3 - Alfred Wegener’s Fossil Evidence for Plate Tectonics - A New Puzzle (Just for jollies, listen to The Posthumous Triumph of Alfred Wegener song by the Amoeba People.) A. Locate the USGS Fossil Evidence puzzle pieces in the pages below. B. Color the fossil areas on your map as shown in the Key to Wegener’s Puzzling Evidence - Fossils below. C. With scissors, cut out each puzzle piece along the edge of the continental shelf, the outermost dark line. Alfred Wegener's evidence for continental drift is shown on the cut-outs and included on the key 3 pages below. Wegener used this evidence to reconstruct the positions of the continents relative to each other in the distant past. D. Assemble the pieces so that they form a giant supercontinent and the evidence lines up. 30. Describe brieﬂy below 5 pieces of early evidence that Alfred Wegener cited for the movement of continents. You may look up evidence on the web or use what we learned in the video and in the first part of this lab. As always, answer in your own words. That process of digesting and rephrasing is important to maximize understanding. A. Wegener noticed that the coastlines of continents, particularly the eastern coast of South America and the western coast of Africa, seemed to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. This observation suggested that these continents might have been connected at some point in the past. B. He found that similar fossils of plants and animals were found on continents that are now widely separated by oceans. For example, fossils of the extinct reptile Mesosaurus were found in both South America and Africa, indicating that these continents were once connected. C. Wegener pointed out that geological features, such as rock types, mountain ranges, and geological structures, matched up across continents that were far apart. The Appalachian Mountains in North America and the Caledonian Mountains in Europe were examples of these similarities. D. He also noted that evidence of past climates, such as glacial deposits and coal beds, were found in regions that are now in vastly different climate zones. For instance, glacial deposits were discovered in what is now India, suggesting that it was once located near the South Pole. E. Wegener looked at evidence from paleoclimatology, including the distribution of glacial deposits and the alignment of ancient climatic zones. He argued that the current arrangement of continents did not explain certain climate-related features, which made more sense when continents were positioned differently. 31. Do you find the evidence above compelling? Explain your rationale.

LEFT BLANK TO CUT OUT PUZZLE PIECES ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SHEET IF YOU PRINT DOUBLE SIDED.

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Part 4 - Matching Theory and Observations Using Google Maps Open this plate map . In the key in the top left (pictured below), you will see the types of plate boundaries. In lavender are the continent-ocean convergent boundaries. Red represents a divergent boundary of any time. Light green is a continent-ocean transform fault. The dark green-grey is vague. Subduction zones, a type of convergent boundary, are in blue with little points like a cold front on a weather map. A number with the arrow shows the direction of the plate movement and the rate of movement in mm/yr. A grey area indicates orogeny - mountain building. Hotspots, areas of magma rising from the mantle through the crust are orange dots. Now let’s look at features found in satellite images of all three types of plate boundaries - subduction, divergent and transform. A - Japan, Aleutians, Tonga, Java, Mediterranean, western South America, and northern India. Click the links below to view satellite images of five locations on Google maps. Pay attention to the landforms that appear in all five locations. All 5 locations have similar geologic features - physical geologic forms, not events. After viewing the satellite version of all 5 locations, view the plate map again & find those 5 locations. Notice the arrows showing plate motion in all five locations. (The map will open way too large. Use Command-Minus or Control-Minus to shrink the map.) A. Japan-Kuril Area (38°N, 150°E) B. Aleutian Area (50°N, 165°W) C. Tonga (20°S, 175°W) D. Java & Sumatra Area (10°S, 105°E) E. Eastern Mediterranean (35°N, 15°E) 32. The 1 underwater physical geologic feature clearly in the first 4 locations and a bit in the 5th is a __________trench___________________ 33. The one subaerial (above the water) geologic feature in all 5 locations is (are) a(n) ____________volcanic islands_______________________________ 34. According to your plate map , the type of lithospheric plate boundary occurring at all 5 locations is a DIVERGENT / CONVERGENT / TRANSFORM boundary. (Choose one.) Convergent plate boundaries

35. Again, 2 geological physical features found at at most ocean-ocean subduction zones Are__________trenches __________________________________ & __________volcanic island ______________________________ 36. In all five cases, the ocean plate is moving TOWARD / AWAY FROM the trench. (Choose one.) toward 6. Draw and describe what is going on in this type of plate boundary. Need help? Look here . Really, make a drawing and describe. 37. In every case above, islands form on the SUBDUCTING / OVERRIDING plate. and magma originates from the SUBDUCTING / OVERRIDING plate. (Choose one for each pair.) Overriding and subducting 38. Explain why your answers to the two questions directly above are so. Why does this occur? Islands typically form on the overriding plate because compressional forces cause geological features like volcanic arcs. Magma originates from the subducting plate because its descent adds water to the mantle, lowering the melting point and creating magma, which rises through the overriding plate. We just looked at island arcs. They form when oceanic plates meet and one subducts under the other. Let’s look at a different place. On this map , find the Peru-Chile Trench at 15°S, 75°W. Notice the type of boundary. 39. The Nazca plate is heading in a ____south eastern____________ direction at _80________ mm/yr running into the ________south american__________________ plate. Here is the same place in Google satellite view. Hmmm… There are no islands. Why? If the subducting plate dives down into the mantle and melts, there should be rising magma forming something on the overriding plate, right?

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40. Do you see a trench? YES / NO (Choose one.) yes 41. The NAZCA / SOUTH AMERICAN is subducting under the NAZCA / SOUTH AMERICAN plate . (Choose one for each pair.) NAZCA and South American 42. No islands formed on the South American plate. What IS forming instead of islands? ( This image may help. ) Short answer! Mountain ranges 43. What geologic events would be expected in these places and why - EARTHQUAKES or VOLCANOES or EARTHQUAKES + VOLCANOES ? (Choose one of the three options.) Explain - Areas near convergent plate boundaries are more likely to experience both earthquakes and volcanoes due to intense tectonic activity. B - Looking at Continent-Continent Collisions 44. In this satellite image of the Himalaya Mountains , describe what you observe geologically. 45. According to our plate map , the type of lithospheric plate boundary occurring at the Himalayas is a DIVERGENT / CONVERGENT / TRANSFORM boundary. (Choose one.) 46. Draw and describe what is going on in this type of plate boundary. Need help? Loo k here . Really, make a drawing and describe. Pay attention to the details of the subducting plate. Recall that the continental crust is lighter so it does not fully subduct. Collision between 2 continents

47. What geologic events would be expected in this place and explain why - EARTHQUAKES or VOLCANOES or EARTHQUAKES + VOLCANOES (Choose one of the 3 options.) Earthquakes and volcanoes Earthquakes + Volcanoes: Areas near convergent plate boundaries are more likely to experience both earthquakes and volcanoes due to intense tectonic activity. C - Looking at Transform Boundaries 48. In this satellite image of southern California , describe what you see geologically. This link may help. Th is article about recent movement in a nearby fault will help, too. Wait for the images in the article to load. I think you’ll like them. Fault forms 49. According to our plate map , the type of lithospheric plate boundary occurring in southern California is a DIVERGENT / CONVERGENT / TRANSFORM boundary. (Choose one.) transform 50. Draw and describe what is going on in this type of plate boundary. 51. Tell which geologic events you would logically expect here and explain why - EARTHQUAKES / VOLCANOES or EARTHQUAKES + VOLCANOES (Choose one of the 3 options.)

Earthquakes are common among the transform plate boundaries. This happens due to the sliding of the plates leading to the formation of stress which is released through the rebounding of the rocks and is released as seismic waves. D - Looking at Divergent Boundaries - You’ve already seen some of these areas in the Colliding Continents film. 52. View this satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean ﬂoor near Iceland and this satellite image of the Afar Triangle in Africa. Really. Look at those images. Then draw and describe with arrows & labels what is happening geologically in both places. This link of Iceland and this link of Africa may help. The satellite view of the Afar Triangle may be a mystery until you look at the link to Africa. 53. According to our plate map , the type of lithospheric plate boundaries in the middle of the Atlantic or in the Afar Triangle regions of Africa are DIVERGENT / CONVERGENT / TRANSFORM boundaries. (Choose one.) divergent 54. Tell which geologic event(s) you would logically expect here and explain why - EARTHQUAKES or VOLCANOES or EARTHQUAKES + VOLCANOES (Choose one of the 3 options.) Volcanoes can occur at divergent plate boundaries like mid ocean ridges or continental rifts.

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Summary - Share two specific things you learned, a specific suggestion to improve this lab, a question you still have, or a combination of any two of those. Do not tell us what you learned about . We know what you learned about; we wrote the lab. What was new to you? 55. What was new to me was the importance of convergent plate boundaries in regions prone to both earthquakes and volcanoes. I learned that these boundaries, where plates collide or one subducts beneath the other, are particularly dynamic and can give rise to both seismic events and volcanic eruptions. 56. A suggestion to improve this lab would be to provide practical examples or case studies of specific regions around the world that exemplify the concepts discussed . Extra Credit - Find your own plate boundary, include the Google Earth or Google Maps link, label the plate names, use arrows and a drawing to show what is happening there. 6/6/23 - Jeff Simpson, Author / CGCC / GLG 110 / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License Includes public domain parts adapted from USGS. Cool Interzcctive - https://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/earthviewer_web/earthviewer.html Discussion Questions 1. What are three types of plate boundaries? Three types of plate boundaries are divergent, convergent, and transform. 2. Give one example of each kind of plate boundary. a. Divergent Plate Boundary: Mid-Atlantic Ridge. b. Convergent Plate Boundary: Himalayan mountain range. c. Transform Plate Boundary: San Andreas Fault. 3. Explain why the west coast of the North and South American have mountain ranges but the east coasts have wide continental shelves. The west coasts of North and South America have mountain ranges due to convergent plate boundaries, where tectonic plates collide. The east coasts have wide continental shelves because they are away from plate boundaries and have experienced sediment deposition and erosion over time.

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