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Plate tectonics: The Key to understanding mountain formation.

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Presentation on theme: "Plate tectonics: The Key to understanding mountain formation."— Presentation transcript:

1 Plate tectonics: The Key to understanding mountain formation

2 Plate boundaries..\..\..\Documents\CLASSES\Mtn_geog\10\ Videos\ess01_int_boundaries\ess05_int_bo undaries.html..\..\..\Documents\CLASSES\Mtn_geog\10\ Videos\ess01_int_boundaries\ess05_int_bo undaries.html

3 Volcanoes, earthquakes..\..\..\Documents\CLASSES\Mtn_geog\10\ Videos\ess02_int_tectonic\ess05_int_tecton ic.html..\..\..\Documents\CLASSES\Mtn_geog\10\ Videos\ess02_int_tectonic\ess05_int_tecton ic.html

4 World’s tectonic plates

5 Earth’s Topographic Regions Clue #1: Mountain ranges found only in certain areas (edges of continents)

6 Marine fossils on top of Everest N side, view from Rongbuk Monastery, Tibet Granite core sedimentary rock layer Limestone (top) Clue #2: Material composition of mountains

7 Clue #3: Continental Shields in interior of continents

8 GEOLOGY OF THE USA Craton (kratos; Greek for strength) old and stable part of the continental crustcontinental crust that has survived the merging and splitting of continentscontinents interiors of continents formed of a crust of lightweight rock, e.g. granite, attached to a section of the upper mantle.mantle

9 Clue #4: Ocean crust oldest near continents and youngest towards middle of oceans youngest oldest

10 Summary: Clues to mountain formation Mountains only in certain areas Fossils on top of mountains Shields in interior of continents Ocean crust oldest near continents and youngest towards middle of oceans

11 Plate motion Plates move away from, toward, or slide past each other. There are 3 types of plate boundaries: - divergent - convergent - transform.

12 Three types of plate boundary

13 A. DIVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARY occur along spreading centers where plates are moving apart new crust is created by magma pushing up from the mantle

14 Example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge a topographically high area near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean splits nearly the entire Atlantic Ocean north to south,

15 Divergent: Atlantic Ridge LAVA FOUNTAINS KRAFLA VOLCANO ICELAND

16 B. CONVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARY Plates are moving toward each other destruction (recycling) of crust takes place along convergent boundaries Sometimes, pne plate sinks (is subducted) - SUBDUCTION ZONE

17 Convergent plate boundaries 3 types depending on type of plate involved: Oceanic-continental convergence Oceanic-oceanic convergence Continental-continental convergence

18 1. Oceanic-Continental Collision oceanic Nazca Plate is pushing into and being subducted under the continental part of the South American Plate South American Plate is being lifted up, creating the Andes Strong, destructive earthquakes rapid uplift of mountain ranges are common in this region.

19 Oceanic-continental: Pacific RING OF FIRE

20 Example: Andes Mtns West margin of the South American continent oceanic Nazca Plate is pushed toward and beneath the continental portion of the South American Plate typical example of a convergent plate boundary

21 ALPAMAYO, CORDILLERA BLANCA

22 2. Oceanic-oceanic Collision Subduction processes in oceanic-oceanic plate convergence result in the formation of volcanic arc islands

23 Island Arc formation Oceanic- oceanic convergence: one plate subducted under the other a trench is formed, ex. Mariana trench (nearly 11,000 m) erupted lava and volcanic debris pile up on the ocean floor until a submarine volcano rises above sea level to form an island volcano

24 Examples of volcanic arc islands Aleutians the Kuriles Japan the Ryukyus, the Philippines Indonesia

25 3. Continental-continental Collision neither plate subducted because the continental rocks are relatively light like two colliding icebergs, plates resist downward motion

26 HIMALAYAS collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates has pushed up the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau

27

28 C. TRANSFORM BOUNDARY At a transform plate boundary, plates slide past each other. Crust neither produced nor destroyed

29 Example: San Andreas fault in California Pacific Plate slides past the North American Plate.

30 Special case: HOTSPOTS “Plume” = huge column of upwelling lava

31 HOTSPOTS HAWAII VIDEO http://www.teachersdomain. org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.ea rthsys.hawaii/

32 How fast are plates moving? The Arctic Ridge –slowest rate (less than 2.5 cm/yr) East Pacific Rise near Easter Island, in the South Pacific about 3,400 km west of Chile – fastest rate (more than 15 cm/yr).

33 Plate Motion Summary

34 Mountain Maker, Earth shaker Interactive media


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