INTRODUCTION OF THE TECTONIC PLATE

-5 BILLION YEARS AGO

-A NEBULA CLOUD OF GAS AND ROCK COME TOGETHER BY GRAVITY
-IT CONDENSED PIECES OF DEBRIS COLLIDED WITH EACH OTHER
-FRICTION OF THIER COLLISIONS, HEATED THE ROCKS.
-IT REACHES 25,000° F
-SLOWLY THAT HOT EARTH DEVELOP A COOLED CRACKED CRUST
-OUR EARTH IS MADE

OUR EARTH IS MADE OF LAYER

2 TYPES OF LAYER

-COMPOSITIONAL LAYER
-MECHANICAL LAYER

THE COMPOSITIONAL IS DIVIDED INTO THREE LAYERS

-CRUST
*THE OUTERMOST LAYER OF THE EARTH, 5 TO 100 KM THIN, THINNEST LAYERS.

2 TYPES OF CRUST
*CONTINENTAL CRUST
*OCEANIC CRUST

-MANTLE
*THE LAYER OF THE EARTH BETWEEN CRUST AND CORE, THICKER THAN CRUST, 2,900 KM THICK.
-CORE
*THE LAYER THAT EXTENDS FROM BELOW THE MANTLE TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. HAS A RADIUS
OF 3,430 KM.

EARTH DIVIDED INTO 5 PHYSICAL LAYERS

-LITHOSPHERE
*THIS IS THE MOST OUTERMOST, RIGID LAYER OF THE EARTH DIVIDED INTO TECTONIC PLATES, 15 TO
300 KM THICK.
-ASTHENOSPHER
*THIS IS A PLASTIC LAYER OF THE MANTLE ON WHICH PIECES OF THE LITHOSPHERE IS MOVE. A SOLID
ROCK AND MOVE SLOWLY, 250 KM THICK.
-MESOSPHERE
*BENEATH THE ASTHENOSPHERE. IT IS THE STRONG LOWER PART OF THE MANTLE, 2,550 KM THICK
-OUTER CORE
*THIS IS THE LIQUID LAYER OF THE EARTH THAT LIES BENEATH THE MANTLE AND SORROUNDS THE
INNER CORE, 2,200 KM THICK.
-INNER CORE
*IS THE SOLID, DENSE CENTER OF THE EARTH, 1,230 KM THICK.

THE HISTORY

-ALFRED WEGENER
-A GERMAN SCIENTIST
- HE PROPOSED THE THEORY OF PLATE TECTONICS IN 1910
-HE NOTICED THAT THE SHORELINES OF THE CONTINENTS SEEMED TO "FIT TOGETHER" LIKE A PUZZLE.

WEGENER`S THEORY STATED THAT:

*THE CONTINENTS WERE ONCE APART OF A SUPERCONTINENT CALLED PANGAE (ALL LAND)
-ALFRED WEGENER BELIEVED THAT AROUND 200 YEARS AGO THE ALL CONTINENTS ARE JOINED
-THE CONTINENT BROKE APART AND DRIFTED TO THIER PRESENT LOCATION CALLED CONTINENTAL
DRIFT.

TECTONICS IS THE STUDY OF LARGE SCALE MOVEMENT AND DEFORMATION OF THE EARTH`S OUTER
LAYER.
PLATE TECTONICS IS THE DEFORMATION TO THE EXISTENCE AND MOVEMENT OF PLATES IN THE
EARTH UPPER MANTLE.

3 TYPES OF PLATE TECTONIC BOUNDARIES

-CONVERGENT BOUNDARIES
*WHERE PLATES ARE COLLIDE
-TRANSFORM BOUNDARIES
*WHERE PLATES SLIDE PAST ONE ANOTHER
-DIVERGENT BOUNDARIES
*WHERE PLATES MOVE APART

TYPES OF CONVERGENT BOUNDARIES

-OCEANIC TO OCEANIC
-OCEANIC TO CONTINENTAL
-CONTINENTAL TO CONTINENTAL

SUBDUCTION ZONE IS THE PLACE WHERE TWO LITHOSPHERIC PLATES COME TOGETHER, ONE RIDING
OVER THE OTHER.

STRESS AND STRAIN IN GEOLOGIC MATERIALS

STRESS IS THE FORCE APPLIED TO AN OBJECT

 3 TYPES OF STRESSES ACT ON MATERIALS
-COMPRESSION OR COMPRESSIVE STRESS
* SQUEEZES ROCKS TOGETHER, OR COMPRESS THE OBJECT
- TENSILE
-TENDING TO PULL THE OBJECT APART, ROCKS ARE PULLED APART.
- SHEARING STRESS
* WHEN FORCES ARE PARALLEL BUT MOVING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
WHEN STRESS CAUSES A MATERIAL TO CHANGE SHAPE, IT HAS UNDERGONE STRAIN OR
DEFORMATION

2 TYPES OF POSSIBLE RESPONSES TO INCREASING STRESS

-ELASTIC DEFORMATION
*THE ROCK RETURNS TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE WHEN THE STRESS IS REMOVED

-PLASTIC DEFORMATION
*THE ROCK DOES NOT RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE WHEN THE STRESS REMOVED.

PLATE MOVEMENTS
ACCUMULATING EVIDENCES

-EARTHQUAKE AND VOLCANOES

*DO NOT OCCUR RANDOMLY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, BUT OCCUR IN RATHER LIMITED BELTS.
-POLAR WANDERING
*IS THE APPARENT OF THE MAGNETIC POLES AS OUTLINED FROM STUDYING THE MAGNETISM
FOSSILIZED IN SUCCESSIVE BASALTIC LAVA FLOWS RANGING IN AGE OVER MILLION OF YEARS.

-MAGNETIC REVERSALS AND SEAFLOOR SPREADING

*THIS ALTERNATING MAGNETIC POLARITY SEEN IN;

1) SUCCESSIVE LAVA FLOWS MAKING UP A VOLCANO.

2) THE BASALTIC ROCK MAKING UP THE OCEAN FLOOR

-HOT SPOTS
*MAPPING OF THE SEAFLOOR IN THE PACIFIC REVEALED A CHAIN OF VOLCANOES AND SEAMOUNTS
THAT EXTEND FROM THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS TO THE MIDWAY ISLANDS AND CONTINUE NORTH TO
THE ALEUTIAN TRENCH OF THE COAST OF ALASKA.

-SIMILAR ROCK AGES

-FOSSIL EVIDENCE
*FROM THE MESOSAURUS