This unit will explore the layers of the

earth, the driving force behind the

movement of Earth’s plates, and the
various type of plate movements.


 Earth consists of three main
layers, the crust, the mantle,
and the core.

 Crust
Earth’s outer layer, which is firm and seems
solid but is broken up into plates that are
able to move.


 Mantle
e thickest layer of the earth, located beneath the cru
and above the core.


 Core
enter part of the earth which consists of two la
The outer core is liquid.
The inner core is thought to be solid.


 The lithosphere consists of the crust and the
upper layer of the mantle.

The lithosphere plays a significant role in the changing of Earth’s

surface due to convection currents.

 The Role of Alfred
Wegener

What was his

theory?
What was his evidence?
What was missing?


 Alfred Wegner’s Theory is referred to
as Continental Drift
Wegener proposed the idea of a
supercontinent, he called Pangaea. He
went on further to say Pangaea broke apart.
The continents slowly moved to their
present positions and continue to move.

His evidence consists of the following:


 The Shapes of the Continents
Match


 The Plant and Animal
Fossils Match


 The Rocks Match
Wegener found similar rocks on
different continents.


 The Ice Matches
Wegener also found that glaciers
existed long ago in what are now
Africa and South America. He thought
the only explanation was that the
continents were once connected.


 Wegener’s Problem
Despite his evidence, Wegener could not
explain how the continents moved.
In the late 1900’s scientists had a better
understanding of the upper layers of
Earth.
They now think the crust and the upper
mantle are made up of large sections
called plates which move because they
rest on a plasticlike layer within the
mantle.
Technological advances provided a clearer

 Seafloor Spreading
Scientists discover the plates move!
After exploring the ocean floor scientists discover areas
where magma oozes out. These areas, called mid-ocean
ridges, have a gap in the center. In this area, new ocean
crust is being formed as the magma cools. As the new
magma moves up onto the surface, the two sides of the
ridge are pushed apart.
This process that forms new ocean crust is called
seafloor spreading.


 Convection Currents play a
role in the changing of
Earth’s surface.


 The cycle in which hot magma is
forced upward towards Earth’s
surface, becoming cooler and more
dense , then sinking back into the
mantle, where it is heated again.


Convection currents are the result of the
heating and cooling of magma.
Hot magma is forced upward to the surface,
becoming cooler and more dense. The cooler, more
dense magma sinks back into the mantle. Deep in
the mantle, the magma is heated again, and the
cycle repeats over and over again.


 Plate movements
Plates move away from, toward, or slide past
each other. Geologists call these divergent,
convergent, and transform plate boundaries.


 Divergent Plate
Boundary
At a divergent plate boundary plates move
away from each other. The mid-Atlantic Ridge
is an example of a divergent plate boundary.


 Convergent Plate Boundary
At a convergent plate boundary, plates move
toward each other.


Transform Plate
Boundary
At a transform plate boundary, plates slide
past each other. The San Andreas fault in
California is an example of a transform plate
boundary, where the Pacific Plate slides past
the North American Plate.


 At the completion of this unit
you should have a better
understanding
of the following:
The layers of the earth and the role they play
in the changes that occur to the earth’s
surface.
The person behind the explanation for the
changes that occur to earth’s surface, his
theory, and the theories that followed.
The driving forces behind these changes.
And the types of changes that can occur.

 Work C