Name: Date: Student Exploration: 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? They are mainly located along the edge of tectonic plates. 2. An earthquake is a violent shaking of Earth’s surface. Where are earthquakes common? Earthquakes are 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? I can see the crust, lithosphere, and 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? I see subduction convergent boundaries, collision convergent boundaries, transform boundaries, and divergent boundaries. Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready: Sliding plates ● Select BOUNDARY A. 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? At a transform boundary, two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally. ✏️ 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.) You can find transform boundaries in Western North America, Africa, Europe and all over India ✏️ Highlight these locations on the map below. To do this, click on the drawing and select Edit. Select the scribble from the line menu to sketch on the map. Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved Activity B: Colliding continents Get the Gizmo ready: ● Turn off Boundary name and Show location. ● Select BOUNDARY B. 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 collide and crash into each other, causing the land to push up, one of the ways to make a mountain. 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. Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved Activity C: Oceanic crust meets continental crust Get the Gizmo ready: ● Turn off Boundary name and Show location. ● Select BOUNDARY C. Question: What happens when ocean crust collides with continental crust? 1. Observe: Boundary C is another type of convergent boundary called a subduction zone. Click the left arrow four times to see how the plates move. How would you describe the motion of plates in a subduction zone? In a subduction zone, one plate slides beneath the other plate, or subducts, descending into the Earth's mantle. 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 subduction zones? (Note: You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.) West and North of South America, west of North America, east of China ✏️Highlight these locations on the map below. Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved Activity D: Spreading plates Get the Gizmo ready: ● Turn off Boundary name and Show location. ● Select BOUNDARY D. Question: How is new crust formed? 1. Observe: Boundary D is a divergent boundary. Click the right arrow four times to see how the plates move. How would you describe the motion of plates in a divergent boundary? This is where two plates move away from each other. Molten rock from the mantle erupts along the opening, forming new crust. 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 divergent boundaries? (Note: You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.) Eastern and Western Africa, south of Australia, west of North and South America Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved ✏️Highlight these locations on the map below. Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved