1. Plate Tectonics

2. Early Observations Mapmakers Noticed the apparent fit of the continents on either side of the Atlantic Ocean

3. Alfred Wegener First proposed Continental Drift in 1912 Also proposed there had been a super-continent and super-sea Pangaea and Panthalassa Pangaea “All The Earth” - Greek Broke apart 200 m.y.a. Evidence to support theory Rock Formations Fossils Ancient Climatic

4. Evidence From Rock Formations Fracturing of large geologic structures Mountain ranges Rocks from Appalachian Mountains in U.S., England, and Europe Age and rock types matched on separate continents Rocks in South America and Africa

5. Evidence From Rock Formations

7. Evidence From Fossils Same fossils found on many continents Kannemeyerid and Labyrinthodont Land-dwelling animals Could not swim great distances between continents Mesosaurus Aquatic, but fresh water

8. Evidence From Fossils

9. Ancient Climatic Evidence Coal Forms from dead plant on swampy land Deposits found in Antarctica Antarctica once had a warm climate Glaciers Glacial deposits found in Africa, India, Australia, & South America Once were located near the south pole

10. Ancient Climatic Evidence

12. Continental Drift

13. Reasons Wegener’s Theory Was Not Accepted Could not explain what caused the continents to move What force is great enough to move the land? Could not explain how the continents could move Are they just plowing through the stationary ocean floor?

14. Exploring the Ocean Floor Major strides in technology enabled scientists to map the ocean floor Sonar Used to locate submarines in WWII Also could tell the depth of the ocean Earthquake activity Earth’s magnetic field Theory of Plate Tectonics 1967 Proved Wegener’s Theory

15. Earth’s Layers

16. Shield Volcanoes

17. Composite Volcanoes

20. Earthquakes

21. USGS Earthquake

22. Tsunami Seismic Sea Wave

23. Tsunami USGS Earthquake Video Before and after

24. Andes Mountains

25. Himalayan Mountains

26. East African Rift Valley

28. Transform Boundary

30. Plate Boundaries Oceanic-Oceanic Divergent Oceanic-Oceanic Convergent Oceanic-Continental Convergent Continental -Continental Convergent Transform Mid-Continent Rifting

31. Oceanic-Oceanic Divergent Boundary

32. Oceanic-Oceanic Convergent Boundary

33. Oceanic-Continental Convergent Boundary

34. Continental-Continental Convergent Boundary

35. Transform Boundary

36. Mid-Continent Rifting

37. Plate Boundaries Visualizations Transform, Divergent, and O-C Convergent C-C Convergent

38. Convection Currents

39. Visualization

40. Hawaiian Islands Kauai volcanoes are inactive No longer above hot spot Kilauea Worlds most active volcano Sits above hot spot

41. Hawaiian Islands

42. Mid-Plate Volcanism Visualization

45. Yellowstone Caldera

46. Plate Motions Breakup of Pangaea Future predictions