Plate Tectonics Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in the orange boxes. Vocabulary: asthenosphere, collision zone, convergent boundary, crust, divergent boundary, earthquake, lithosphere, mantle, plate, plate tectonics, subduction zone, transform boundary, volcano Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) 1. Volcanoes are openings in Earth’s crust where lava, gas, and ash can erupt. Where are active volcanoes located? At the edge of tectonic plates. 2. An earthquake is a violent shaking of Earth’s surface. Where are earthquakes common? Along plate boundaries. Gizmo Warm-up Volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains, and other features of Earth’s surface owe their origin to the movements of plates: enormous, slowly-moving sections of Earth’s crust. At plate boundaries, plates collide, move apart, move under or over each other, or slide past one another. The theory of plate tectonics describes how the plates move, interact, and change the physical landscape. The Plate Tectonics Gizmo shows a cross-section, or side view, of Earth. (Not to scale.) Above the cross section is a bird’s-eye view of the same location. 1. Turn on Show labels. What are the layers of Earth that you can see? Crust, lithosphere, mantle The lithosphere is a layer of rigid rock that consists of the crust and the upper part of Earth’s mantle. The asthenosphere is a layer of the mantle that can deform like plastic. 2. Turn on Boundary name, and click on each boundary. What four boundaries do you see? convergent boundaries: subduction, convergent boundaries: collision, transform Question: What happens when plates slide past one another? 1. Observe: Boundary A is a transform boundary. The arrows below the BOUNDARY A label will move the plates. Click the left arrow once to see how the plates move. How would you describe the motion of plates in a transform boundary? A transform boundary slides or crashes against each other creating a mountain or new land 2. Sketch: Draw a bird’s-eye view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an arrow to show which way the plate moved. Before movement After movement 3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find transform boundaries? (Note: You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.) Western North America, Africa, Europe and all over India Highlight these locations on the map below. Question: What happens when two continents collide? 1. Observe: Boundary B is an example of a convergent boundary, where two plates are moving toward one another. When the two converging plates both contain continental crust, it is called a collision zone. Click the left arrow four times to see how the plates move. How would you describe the motion of plates in a collision zone? The plates smack into each other causing the land to scrunch up, one of many ways to 2. Sketch: Draw a side view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an arrow to show which way the plate moved. Before movement After movement 3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find collision zones? (Note: You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.) Northern Saudi Arabia, India, North-Eastern Asia Highlight these locations on the map below.