Plate Tectonics Continental Drift Lets start by reading

Plate Tectonics & Continental Drift

Let’s start by reading pages 16 -17 in our Atlas 1. What are “plates” 2. What impact can colliding plates have on the earth? 3. Define Subduction 4. What can subduction cause? 5. What causes earthquakes? 6. What happens when plates pull apart? 7. Define Pangea

The World

The Earth is like a peach CRUST- Thin outer skin MANTLE- Thick layer of really hot rocks & semi-melted rocks called Magma CORE- Solid, superhot ball of iron

The earth is sliced into 16 (or so) irregular shaped piece called PLATES They float around each other and cause things to happen in our environment

Alfred Wegener (1880 -1930) Continental Drift Theory 300 million years ago the earth’s land masses formed one “supercontinent” that he called PANGEA

Continents “fit together” like puzzle pieces

WEGNER’S EVIDENCE- FOSSILS Same fossils from same time period in different continents

WEGENER’S EVIDENCE Some mountains on different continents seem to match • Ex: ranges in Canada match Norway and Sweden • Ex: Appalachian Mtn. match UK mtn

WEGENER’S EVIDENCE- Glaciers Climatic evidence such as glaciers in areas that are now close to the Equator

And it’s still happening… Satellite's can measure the rate of movement of the continental plates https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=u. Gc. Ded 4 x. VD 4 (3: 18) ‘Earth 100 Million Years From Now’