The earths rocky outerlayer the lithosphere is broken up into around seventeen major pieces that we call tectonic plates. This page is maintained by john watson last modified 197. Are you confusing the continents with the continental plates that are present in the world. Pdf major tectonic events and plates of northwestern vietnam. A plate boundary is the border between two or more tectonic plates. Many of the earthquakes described in these summaries were significant enough that they have been subject to special scien. Lithosphere is divided into plates that slide around on top of the slowly moving mesosphere tectonic plates it occurred after the breakup of. This plate extends all the way over the north pole and even contains siberia and the northern island of japan. The movement is extremely slow and cannot be felt or noticed by people on the earth. This layer of the earth moves in big pieces of land called tectonic plates. Australia tectonic plates are described together as the indoaustralia plate because they primarily move as a single block with a broad zone of convergent deformation between them.
Map of major tectonic plates and select great earthquakes and volcanoes. Describing how the theory of plate tectonics explains. Continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics. Sections of the crust, called plates, push against each other due to forces from the molten interior of the earth.
There are a few handfuls of major plates and dozens of smaller, or minor, plates. This could be used as a demo if cost of materials is a factor. The theory encompasses the older concepts of continental drift, developed during the. Convergence data are shown by arrows describing direction and speed, relative to the plate across the boundary. Tectonics of the new guinea region university of vermont. For the land to move a noticeable and significant amount takes millions of years. Continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics plate tectonics is a theory developed in the late 1960s, to explain how the outer layers of the earth move and deform. If yes, then i will request you to first follow the attached picture according to this following pic.
What are the seven major tectonic plates and which one. The lithosphere consists of the crust and small portion of the upper mantle. The earths crust is divided into plates which are moved in various directions. The different tectonic plates this map displays tectonic plates, all shaded differently, and the continents and oceans which constitute those tectonic plates. According to the theory of plate tectonics, the earths lithosphere is broken into distinct plates which are.
The largest plates major tectonic plates are the 1. The north american major plate not only contains the continent of north america but also part of the atlantic ocean. A map showing some of the worlds major and minor tectonic plates. Largepool thermal hot springs area southwest of korovin volcano and west northwest of. Major tectonic plates by sciencerly teachers pay teachers. There are different types of plate boundary, depending on the direction in which the plates are moving and whether the plates are continental or. Pdf on jan 1, 2008, michal krobicki and others published major tectonic events and plates of northwestern vietnam find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. These plates move and interact with one another, driven by convectional forces within the earth. The structure of the earth, plate tectonics and landforms. In this platetectonic framework, largescale deformation is the local response of. Use the table below to draw arrows indicating the direction of plate movement at each boundary. Students will begin by heating up the milk solution and cover the surface with power.
Scientists now have a fairly good understanding of how the plates move and how such movements relate to earthquake activity. Plate tectonics it was from the continental drift theory, convection current theory and the theory of seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics was formulated. Continental plates tend to be larger than oceanic and bear the majority of a continents mass. Tectonic plates are pieces of earths crust and uppermost mantle, together referred to as the lithosphere. Plate tectonics is the unifying theory of geology and revolutionized. Interaction of tectonic plates major geomorphological features such as fold and block mountains, midoceanic ridges, trenches, volcanism, earthquakes etc. Friction between the plates keeps them from sliding. Aug 16, 2018 the world is composed of major, minor, and micro tectonic plates. Student can use this foldable to identify and label the major tectonic plates including eurasian, african, indoaustralian. Lightly shade in each tectoniclithospheric plate with a different color if possible. Plate tectonics overview the earths crust is cracked like the shell of a hardboiled egg. Six of the majors are named for the continents embedded within them, such as the north american, african, and. Lithosphere is divided into plates that slide around on top of the slowly moving mesosphere tectonic plates it occurred after the breakup of pangaea, and since then the continents.
The south american plate is the smallest of all major plates that includes the continent of south america and a large portion of the atlantic ocean. There are three ways in which the plates interact with each other. This work page has 34 fillintheblank questions for students to answer about tectonic plates and tectonic plate boundaries question topics include, but are not limited to. Tectonic plates plate boundary referenced from bird, peter 2003 an updated digital model of plate boundaries. Sharpe learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. The most important earthquake belt is the circumpacific belt. This has long been apparent from early catalogs of felt earthquakes and is even more readily discernible in modern seismicity maps, which show instrumentally determined epicentres. Dec 17, 2019 plate tectonics it was from the continental drift theory, convection current theory and the theory of seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics was formulated. The plates are around 100 km 62 mi thick and consist of two principal types of material. Moreover, it sits a top of the worlds largest river delta at close to sea level, facing both the risk posed by a quake and secondary risks of tsunamis and flooding in the quakes aftermath seeber, 2012. The plates move seemingly independently, which indicates that the system is dynamic, i. In 1967, mckenzie and parker suggested the theory of plate tectonics. Major plates pacific, african, eurasian, north american, antarctic, south. Tectonic plates are of two types, namely oceanic crust and continental crust that.
Student can use this foldable to identify and label the major tectonic plates including eurasian, african, indoaustralian, pacific, north american, and south american. Students will label the continents on their world map, then students will create a simulation using milk, chocolate mix, and heat to show how convection currents cause tectonic plates to shift and rise. Map of major tectonic plates and select great earthquakes and. The movement of the earth is due to tectonic plates. The mantle contains hot molten rock magma heated by energy from the earths core. Know and be able to locate all plates in red 7 major and 2 minor. Ocean basins are shown in gray, with approximate ages of oceanic lithosphere indicated. Continental plates tend to be much thicker on average, but less dense. Bird, peter 2003 an updated digital model of plate boundaries also available as a large mb pdf file. The areas where these plates collide often have increased volcanic and earthquake activity. When the frictional strain is overcome, the ground suddenly snaps along faults and fractures releasing energy as earthquakes. These images show the locations of the plates and their boundaries in the earths crust. Plate tectonics the earths crust is divided into plates which are moved in various directions. Organization of the tectonic plates in the last 200myr ftp directory.
Crust mantle core crust lithosphere plate movement the crust is broken into plates that move. Types of plate boundaries map identification directions a 1. Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of earth structures or tectonic features. Lithospheric plates lithospheric plates are rigid and behave elastically. Tectonic summaries of magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes. The theory has caused a revolution in the way we think about the earth. Earth surface lithosphere is divided into 7 major and 8 minor plates. Once the milk has reached a certain temperature, students will gently place model plates onto of the powder layer and the convection will start to move these plates. The earth has 7 major plates africa, antarctica, australia, eurasia, north. Since the development of the theory, geologists have had to reexamine almost every aspect of. Sorry i have never heard about seven tectonic plates.
The maps are also offered without tectonic boundaries to be used to see if students recognize features in the landscape. Australian plate a major tectonic plate, originally a part of the ancient continent of gondwana 47,000,000 km2. The map shows the major tectonic plates and their direction of movement. Rigid plates can bend when subject to a load such as volcanism or seamounts e. Map of major tectonic plates and select great earthquakes. Alternatively students can do this activity individually using world maps showing earthquake distribution. Earths major earthquakes occur mainly in belts coinciding with the margins of tectonic plates. The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. The one exception is the pacific plate, which lies beneath the pacific ocean. Types of plate boundaries map identification activity.
According to the theory of plate tectonics, the lithosphere is made up of about 12. The pacific plate is the largest tectonic plate on earth and its boundaries host the majority of subduction zones and earth quakes. A major geological system is the tectonic system that involves the movement of lithospheric plates. Plate transmit stress over long distances providing important implications for plate driving mechanisms. Continental and oceanic are the two types of tectonic plates. This plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape against each other. Pdf plate tectonics, our major paradigm for how the earth works, was established in the 1960ies following decades of observational research. Plate tectonics reveals that the lithosphere is divided into eight major pieces plates with several smaller plates fig. Tectonic plates california institute of technology.
Tectonic plates are gigantic segments or pieces of the earths crust and uppermost mantle that together constitute the lithosphere. Seven major plates include the african, antarctic, eurasian, north american, south american, indiaaustralian, and pacific plates. Guess the location of the midatlantic ridge then check your answer with the teacher. These plates form a jigsaw pattern around the planet with their edges interacting to cause earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges and deep ocean trenches. Click here to see a detailed map of the area highlighted in red. This video talks about the location of the 7 major plates. Oct 31, 2016 sorry i have never heard about seven tectonic plates. In fact, six of the seven major tectonic plates are named after the continents they contain. Look at a world map of tectonic plates and geohazard distribution such as this dynamic planet. Plate tectonics, our major paradigm for how the earth works, was established in the 1960ies following decades of observational research that culminated in key. Tectonic plates are sections of the earths solid crust that float on top of the mantle. The outermost part of earths structure is known as the lithosphere.
From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia plate tectonics from greek, tekton builder or mason describes the large scale motions of earths lithosphere. The world is composed of major, minor, and micro tectonic plates. Notice how each of the plates are somewhat aligned. Plate convergence vectors referenced from united states geological survey. Tectonic plates are enormous sections of rock that make up the earths crust. Most movement occurs along narrow zones between plates, plate. This inquiry lab students will simulate how the tectonic plates move, via convection currents. Tectonic plates the surface of the earth is constantly moving throughout the world. Each major piece of cracked crust is called a tectonic plate figure 22. Plate boundaries divergent margin convergent margin transform fault arrows show relative motion most of the worlds earthquakes and volcanoes are found at or near the boundary between two tectonic plates. Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of earths outer shell that revolutionized earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountainbuilding processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of earths surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans. Jun 14, 2004 the earths crust is constantly in motion.