Copy of Smith Virtual Predicting Tectonic Activity
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Geology
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Apr 3, 2024
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Names ______________________________________________________________________________________ Date ________________
Predicting Tectonic Activity
Introduction: It is believed that the continents move on pieces of the Earth’s crust called
tectonic plates. The surface of the Earth seems to be divided into seven or eight
major plates and maybe a dozen smaller ones. The best explanation for the
mechanism is that heat escaping from the planet’s interior creates convection
currents that move the plates into and away from each other. From a geological
point of view, the most interesting places are the plate boundaries where the
plates collide, separate, or slide past each other. Scientists infer the size, shape,
and location of the plates by a process similar to the one you will undertake in this project. Part one: Locating Mountain Ranges. Use the orange symbols on the map key to plot the following mountain ranges. Make sure to label each mountain with its number. Location does not have to be perfect, just attempt to place the marker in the general area where each range is found.
1. Andes 2. Himalayas 3. Rockies 4. Appalachian 5. Atlas 6. Zagros 7. Ural Part two: Locating earthquake locations. Go to https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
and plot
10 of the most recent earthquakes on your map. Make sure that these earthquakes are all in DIFFERENT locations. Use the same red color marks to plot each earthquake. Part three: Locating volcanoes. Pick 10 volcanoes from the list below and plot them on your map. Use blue marks to denote your volcano locations.
Names ______________________________________________________________________________________ Date ________________
Analysis Questions: 1.
What patterns do you observe as you plot your mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes? Some patterns that I observed as I plotted mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes were that they were
near the ring of fire and in the black dotted lines near the continents. 2.
How do these patterns support the theory of plate tectonics?
The magnetic patterns on each side of the ocean ridge are symmetrical, which proves that the seafloor
is spreading. 3.
Based on what you know about plate tectonics, what type of boundary may exist between the Eurasian and African plates? Why? It is most likely a convergent plate boundary because the plates collide to create mountains which were most common near the regions
4.
What about the North American and Pacific plates? Why?
A transform plate boundary because the plates are moving near each other like sliding that can be seen there.
5.
Explain what the ring of fire is, where is it located on your map?
It's where there are active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. According to our map, a ring of fire is above the Indian-Australian Plate. 6.
The following are the heights of the mountains that you plotted on you map: - Himalayans 29,000 feet - Rocky Mountains 14,400 feet - Ural Mountains 6,200 feet Scientists have determined that plates are moving at different speeds. How do you think the speed of plate movement is related to the height of the mountain ranges? The faster the plates are moving the higher the mountain ranges are. How active they are determines how high the mountains created will be.
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