11/18/2015

11/18/2015

Crust is the
outermost layer.
The mantle is the
mostly-solid bulk of
Earths interior.

Earths core is the

very hot, very dense
center of our planet.

The outer core is

mostly composed of
liquid iron and
nickel.

The inner core is a

hot, dense ball of
(mostly) iron.

11/18/2015

Two types of crust:

1. Continental Crust
The continental crust is the layer of
igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
rocks that forms the continents and the
areas of shallow seabed cl ose to their
shores, known as continental shelves.

2. Oceanic Crust
The relatively thin part of the earth's
crust that underlies the ocean basins. It is
geol ogically young compared with the
continental crust and consists of basaltic
rock overlain by sediments.

Two scales are used to indicate the geological

history of rocks.

1. Time scale called Era based on the age of

the earth or periods of the appearance of large
animals and plants.
2. Formation scale also called Rock Scale
based on the fossils of the minor organisms.

11/18/2015

Scales are further divided into the following

subdivisions:
1. Time scales is divided into:

Era
Period
Epoch
Age

2. Formation scale is divided into:

Groups
System
Series
Stage
Zone

11/18/2015

11/18/2015

Continental Drift Theory by Alfred Wagener

Continental
drift
suggest
continents drift or move.

that

Continental drift was a theory that

explained how continents shift position
on Earth's surface.
Continental drift also explained why
look-alike animal and plant fossils, and
similar rock formations, are found on
different continents.

11/18/2015

11/18/2015

Plate Tectonics
Modern version of Continental Drift.
Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer
shell is divided into several plates that glide
over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above
the core. The plates act like a hard and rigid
shell compared to Earth's mantle. This strong
outer layer is called the lithosphere.

Plate Tectonics
Plate tectonics is the theory that the outer rigid
layer of the earth (the lithosphere) is divided
into a couple of dozen "plates" that move
around across the earth's surface relative to
each other, like slabs of ice on a lake.

11/18/2015

There are 7 major plates and many minor ones.

The seven major plates are:

African plate

Antarctic plate

Eurasian plate

Indo-Australian plate

North American plate

Pacific plate

South American plate

Some of the minor plates are:

Arabian plate

Caribbean plate

Philippine plate

Scotia plate

Nazca plate

T
H
E
P
L
A
T
E
S

11/18/2015

It is believed that the

plates can move between
themselves just like blocks
floating on ice water
producing various forces
between the plates causing
earthquakes.

There are three kinds of plate tectonic

boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform
plate boundaries.
Divergent
A divergent boundary
occurs
when
two
tectonic plates move
away
from
each
other.

10

11/18/2015

There are three kinds of plate tectonic

boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform
plate boundaries.
Convergent
When
two
plates
come together, it is
known
as
a
convergent boundary.

There are three kinds of plate tectonic

boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform
plate boundaries.
Transform Plate
Two plates sliding
past each other forms
a transform plate
boundary.

11