Earth’s Interior,
Continental Drift &
Plate Tectonics
Spheres of the Earth
Lithosphere (land)
– Solid part of the earth (rocks & minerals)
Hydrosphere (water)
– Liquid part of the earth (oceans, rivers, etc…)
Atmosphere (air)
– Gas part of the earth (oxygen, nitrogen, etc…)
Earth’s Interior
(outside to inside)
Crust
– Oceanic – Crust below the oceans
– Continental – Crust that is made of land
Mantle
– Liquid layer – magma (melted rock)
Asthenosphere (Mantle)
– Part of the mantle with Convection Currents
Outer core
– Liquid layer – made up of iron and nickel
Inner Core
– Solid layer –
made up of iron and nickel
Continental Drift
Alfred Wegener's theory that the continents were
once a single supercontinent called Pangaea
(all land).
Over time this super continent slowly broke apart
into what we have today.
Evidence
Puzzle: Continents can
fit together like a puzzle
Fossils: Similar fossils
were found on
coastlines of different
continents.
Rock Types: Mountains
that appear on one
coastline also appear
on another continent
across the ocean.
Plate Tectonics
Theory of Plate Tectonics - The theory of plate
tectonics, the crust is broken up into
sections/pieces that move on top of the liquid
mantle (asthenosphere).
Tectonic Plates – these sections/pieces of crust
are called plates
Plates
There are 7 major plates on the earth that are
moving extremely slowly but continuously.
Major Plates: Eurasian, African, Australian-Indian,
North American, Pacific, Antarctic and South
American.
Intermediate Plates: Caribbean, Cocos, Nazca,
Arabian, Phillippine, Juan de Fuca and Scotia
Oceanic
– Oceanic - ocean Continental
– Continental - land
2 main types of plates:
Earth’s Tectonic Plates
Convection Currents
Convection cells in the mantle move the plates.
– Hot in the center, less dense magma rises up due to heat.
– When the magma reaches the surface, it cools and sinks
back down creating a circular pattern of movement.
This process happens continually.
Cool
Hot – goes UP
Cool – goes DOWN
Crust Density
Oceanic Plates (dense) – heavy
– Sink (subduct) underneath continental
crust
Continental Plates (less dense) –
lighter
Plate Boundaries
Border between 2
plates
3 Boundary
Types
– Divergent
– Convergent
– Transform
Divergent Boundaries
Plates moving apart.
Seafloor Spreading
(oceanic-oceanic)
The process by which new oceanic crust is
created.
Two oceanic plates move apart and magma
comes up
As rising magma cools, it forms new oceanic
crust. (Example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge)
Magnetic Reversals
(Paleomagnetism)
Evidence of Sea-floor spreading
Youngest crust is in the center, older
as you go out
Earth’s magnetic poles reverse from
North to South
Older Older
Young
Mid-Ocean Ridges
(oceanic-oceanic)
A mountain under the ocean
A mid-ocean ridge forms where
oceanic plates continue to separate.
A Rift Valley
(continental-continental)
When continental plates pull apart,
they form rift valleys.
Makes volcanoes and new land
(Example: East African Rift Valley)
Convergent Boundaries
Plates come together
Subduction Zones
When one plate goes under another
plate.
The more dense (heavier) plate goes
under.
dense
Volcanic Arc
(Subduction: Oceanic-Continental)
More dense (heavier) oceanic crust goes
under the less dense continental crust.
As the plate moves under the continental
plate, the rock melts and rises, creating
volcanoes.
Trenches are also created.
Deep-Sea Trench
(oceanic-continental)
A depression (hole) in the ocean floor
at a subduction zone, it has sand in
it.
Volcanic Island Chains
(Subduction: Oceanic-Oceanic)
When 2 oceanic plates meet and one goes
under the other.
Forms Volcanic Islands.
(Example: Aleutian Islands)
Mountains
(Subduction: Continental-Continental)
When 2 continental plates come
together.
The plates push up and form
mountains. (Example: Himalayas)
Transform Fault Boundaries
Plates slide past one another moving in
opposite directions.
Also called FAULTS
Causes earthquakes/tsunamis to
occur.
Faults
Large fractures (a
break) in the earth's
crust.
Types of Faults
– Normal
– Reverse (Thrust)
– Strike-Slip
Types of Faults
Normal Faults
Rock moves down
Reverse Faults
Rock moves upward
Strike-slip faults
Rocks slide past one
another in opposite
directions.
Volcanoes
An opening in the earth that erupts gases, ash and lava.
Caused by plate movement along boundaries.
Occur at both divergent and convergent plate
boundaries.
– Magma - melted rock under the surface (INSIDE)
– Lava – Melted rock above the surface (OUTSIDE)
LAVA
MAGMA
Types of Volcanoes
Shield – volcanic cone made
up of layers of hardened
lava
Cinder cone – volcanic cone
made up of rock particles,
dust and ash.
Composite – volcanic
cone made up of alternating
layers of lava and rock
particles.
Hot Spots
A part of the mantle is REALLY hot
and magma is forced up to the surface
Creates islands.
(Example: Hawaiian Islands)
Earthquakes
Caused by movement along a fault.
Occurs mainly at plate boundaries.
Focus – point under the earth’s surface where an earthquake
starts
Epicenter – place on earth’s surface directly above the focus
FAULT
Earthquake Waves
Seismic Waves
Seismograph – instrument that
measures earthquake waves
Types of Waves
– P-Wave (primary wave) – fastest
Moves back and forth
– S-Wave (secondary wave) – slower
Moves up and down
– L-Wave (surface wave) – most dangerous
Tsunamis
Also called tidal waves
Large ocean waves caused by an earthquake under
the ocean.
Ocean floor moves along a fault creating a wave.
Can also be caused by a landslide under or above
the water.
WAVE
Plate Boundaries
DIVERGENT BOUNDARY – move apart
Sea-Floor Spreading oceanic-oceanic (o-o) New Ocean Crust
Mid-Ocean Ridge oceanic-oceanic (o-o) Underwater Mountain
Rift Valley continental-continental (c-c) Volcanoes/New Land
CONVERGENT BOUNDARY- come together
Mountains continental-continental Mountains created
SUBDUCTION ZONES
Deep-Sea Trench oceanic-continental Depression (hole in ground)
Volcanic Arc oceanic-continental A line of volcanoes on land
Island Arc oceanic-oceanic A line of islands in the ocean
TRANSFORM BOUNDARY – slide past each other
Faults All types Earthquakes/Tsunamis
