Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____

Plate Tectonics Web-Quest

PartI: Earths Structure. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/structure.htm l
1. a!el the layers of "arth in the diagram !elow.
crust mantle
Inner core
Outer core
mantle
#. $he lithosphere is made up of the crust and a tiny !it of the upper mantle.
%. $he plates of the lithosphere move &or float' on this hot( mallea!le semi li)ud
*one in the upper mantle( directly underneath the lithosphere. $his is known as the
asthenosphere.
+. $he layer of "arth that is the only li)uid layer is the outer core
Part II. Plate Tectonics. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/drift.htm l
A B
1. $rue or ,alse- .mage / depicts what "arth looks like today. &,asle'
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
#.0hat did "arth look like #12 million years ago- $he continents of "arth were clustered
together in formation that a scientist named Pangaea. $he scientist that named
3Pangaea4 was a 5erman scientist !y the name of /lfred 0egener. 6e theori*ed that
3Pangaea7 split apart and the different landmasses( or continents( drifted to their current
locations on the glo!e. 0egener8s theories of plate movement !ecame the !asis for the
development of the theory of Plate tectonics.
%. 9rder the images of "arth8s plates in order from oldest or earliest &1' to most recent &1'.
1 3 4 2 5
Part III. Plates and Boundaries. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/plate.htm l
1. Name the missing tectonic plates in the !lanks on the image !elow.
NA Plate
Euraisn
Pacific
African Austrila
SA Plate
Antarcitc
#. $he place where the two plates meet is called a !oundary. :oundaries have different names
depending on how the two plates are moving in relationship to each other.
/. .f two plates are pushing towards each other it is called a convergent
:. .f two plates are moving apart from each other it is called a Divergent.
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
;. .f two plates are sliding past each other it is a called a $ransform. <o!ots in disguise
%. a!el the type of !oundary depicted in each image !elow.
Transform Divergent Convergent
+. Plates and :oundaries ;hallenge. ,ollow directions for the challenge. <ecord your results
!elow:
Part .. Num!er of correctly placed plates = >
Part ... Num!er of !oundary types correctly la!eled = ?
Part IV. Slip, Slide, and Collide. Use the following link to find these answers:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/slip.htm l
1. /t coner!ent boundaries( tectonic plates collide with each other. $he events that occur
at these !oundaries are linked to the types of plates &oceanic or continental' that are
interacting.
Subduction "ones and Volcanoes
/t some convergent !oundaries( an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate.
9ceanic crust tends to !e denser and thinner than continental crust( so the denser oceanic
crust gets !ent and pulled under( or su!ducted( !eneath the lighter and thicker continental
crust. $his forms what is called a subduction #one. /s the oceanic crust sinks( a deep
oceanic trench( or valley( is formed at the edge of the continent. $he crust continues to !e
forced deeper into the earth( where high heat and pressure cause trapped water and other
gasses to !e released from it. $his( in turn( makes the !ase of the crust melt( forming
magma. $he magma formed at a su!duction *one rises up toward the earth@s surface and
!uilds up in magma cham!ers( where it feeds and creates volcanoes on the overriding
plate. 0hen this magma finds its way to
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
the surface through a vent in the crust( the volcano erupts( eApelling lava and
ash. /n eAample of this is the !and of active volcanoes that encircle the Pacific 9cean(
often referred to as the <ing of ,ire.
<oll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words !elow:
Bu!duction Cone D area of one plate !eing pulled under another
Eagma F melted rock
$rench F steep side depression on the ocean floor
Golcano F vent were magma and gas erupt
Golcanic /rc F arc shaped chain of volcanoes
,ill in the type of crust converging in the image !elow.
Continental Crust
Oceanic Crust
/ su!duction *one is also generated when two oceanic plates collide H the older plate is
forced under the newer one( and it leads to the formation of chains of volcanic islands
known as island arc
Collision "ones and $ountains
0hat happens when two continental plates collide- :ecause the rock making up
continental plates is generally lighter and less dense than oceanic rock( it is too light to get
pulled under the earth and turned into magma. .nstead( a collision !etween two continental
plates crunches and folds the rock at the !oundary( lifting it up and leading to the formation
of Eountain .
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
,ill in the type of crust converging in the image !elow.
Continental
Continental
<oll your mouse over the image to find the definitions of the words !elow:
;ontinental ;rust F earths crust
Eountain F large mass of earth that has risen a!ove the surface
#. /t dier!ent boundaries( tectonic plates are moving away from each other. 9ne result of
huge masses of crust moving apart is seafloor spreading. $his occurs when two plates
made of oceanic crust pull apart. / crack in the ocean floor appears and then magma
oo*es up from the mantle to fill in the space !etween the plates( forming a raised ridge
called a mid ocean ridge. $he magma also spreads outward( forming new ocean floor and
new oceanic crust.
0hen two continental plates diverge( a valleyFlike rift develops. $his rift is a dropped *one
where the plates are pulling apart. /s the crust widens and thins( valleys form in and
around the area( as do volcanoes( which may !ecome increasingly active. "arly in the rift
formation( streams and rivers flow into the low valleys and long( narrow lakes can !e
created. "ventually( the widening crust along the divergent !oundary may !ecome thin
enough that a piece of the continent !reaks off( forming a new tectonic plate.
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
%. /t trans%or& boundaries( tectonic plates are not moving directly toward or directly away
from each other. .nstead( two tectonic plates move past each other in a hori*ontal
direction. $his kind of !oundary results in a fault. / fault is a crack or fracture
in the earth@s crust that is associated with this movement.
$ransform !oundaries and the resulting faults produce many earth)uakes !ecause edges
of tectonic plates are Iagged rather than smooth. /s the plates grind past each other( the
Iagged edges strike each other( catch( and stick( 7locking7 the plates in place for a time.
:ecause the plates are locked together without moving( a lot of
stress !uilds up at the fault line. $his stress is released in )uick !ursts when the plates
suddenly slip into new positions. $he sudden movement is what we feel as the shaking
and trem!ling of an earth)uake.
$he motion of the plates at a transform !oundary has given this type of fault another name(
a strike slip fault. $he !estFstudied strikeFslip fault is the Ban /ndreas ,ault in ;alifornia.
+. ;omplete the Plate .nteractions ;hallenge and $est Bkills )uestions.
Ey score for Plate .nteractions ;hallenge = ________1__________________
Ey score for $est Bkills )uestions = _____1>__ out of %2 or __?2__ J____
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
Part V. Questions 'ou should be able to ans(er no( that 'ou co&pleted this (eb)uest.
Note F you may go !ack to the we!site and review to assist in answering the
following )uestions.
;onvergent :oundary
&ocean D continental'
;onvergent :oundary
&ocean D ocean'
;onvergent :oundary
&continental D continental'
1. DeepFocean trench and
volcanoes are created !y convergent
!oundaries of ocean and continental crust.
#. DeepFocean su!duction (
tsunamis and earth)uakes are created !y
convergent !oundaries of ocean and ocean
crust.
%. mountain are created !y convergent
!oundaries of continental and continental crust.
+. /nother type of !oundary neither creates nor
consumes crust. $his type of !oundary is called a
transform !oundary !ecause two plates move
against each other( !uilding up tension( then
release the tension is a sudden Ierk of land called
an earth)uake.
Name ________________________________ Date ___________ Period ____
+. ;ircle the correct type of !oundary for each description!elow:
/. $he!oundarywheretwoplatesmeetandtrenchesareformed.
*ier!ent Coner!ent Trans%or&
:. $heplatesmoveawayfromeachotherallowingmagmatocreatenewoceancrust.
*ier!ent Coner!ent Trans%or&
;. $heplatesmoveinoppositedirections!uildinguptensionuntiltheyslipcausing
earth)uakes.
*ier!ent Coner!ent Trans%or&
1. a!el each type of !oundary as either: *ier!ent, Coner!ent, or Trans%or& Boundar':
hh
/. convergent
:. transform
hh
divergent
$he end. Please take a minute and look over your we!F)uest to make sure you answered
all )uestions and completed all tasks. Eake sure your name is on the front and turn it in.