Name:______Period ______Date:______
Directions: This assignment has you working on an interactive website that explores the earth's interior, including its tectonic plates and their movements and how mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes are formed. Go to the following website and complete the following activities.
Go to: http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/
Section 1: Click Earth’s Structure
1. Geologists learned about the Earth’s interior by studying ______.
2. They discovered the Earth’s interior is composed of three layers that include the
______, ______and ______.
The Earth’s Crust
3. The Earth’s crust is ______and ______. It is the outermost and
______layer. The crust is not the same ______under
The oceans and continents.
The Mantle
4. The mantle is subdivided into two parts and is located directly below the ______.
5. The lithosphere is solid rock made up of the ______and a tiny bit of the
______. The lithosphere has plates that hold the
______and ______.
6. The ______is directly under the lithosphere and allows the plates to move
or float in a semi liquid zone in the upper mantle.
The Core
7. The core is divided into two parts, the ______core and the ______core.
The outer core is the only ______layer of the Earth. It is made of
______and ______.
8. The inner core is extremely ______and ______. It is made of
______and ______.
Section 2: Click Plate Tectonics
Decide which picture more resembles Earth’s continents as they appear today. Click on that picture. Then select How did we know that?
1. What was the name of the German Scientist that published The Origin of Continents and Oceans?
______. This scientist discovered 3 things that helped support
his theory.
A. The coastlines of ______and ______
might fit together.
B. Plant and animal ______were found on the coastlines of these
continents that are now separated by vast ______.
C. He also noticed that geologic formations, like ______
on the two continents also matched up.
2. What was “Pangaea”?
3. What was his idea about what happened to Pangaea?
Continents on the Move- Finish the chart below.
200 million years ago / 135 million yearsago / 65 million
years ago / 50-40 million
years ago
Pangaea splits into
two major landmasses ______: in the
______, made up
of North America and Eurasia.
______:in the
______,made up of the other continents. / Gondwana splinters
further.
The ______
______-
______landmass separates
from the______-
______landmass.
The ______landmass breaks away from the Antarctica-Australia landmass. / There is major
rifting of ______, with the North American landmass separating from ______.
South America and Madagascar separate from
______. / Greenland
separates from
______
______.
Australia
separates from
______
and moves
______.
The India
landmass
collides with
______.
4. The modern ______theory developed in the 1960’s, states
that the Earth’s lithosphere, is broken up into ______. They are slowly but constantly
______.
5. What does this help to explain?
*Test your skills on Plate Tectonics: Select the Continents Over Time. Use your work in the chart on
page 2 to help move the pictures into their correct spot. Were you able to correctly place the
pictures into the timeline?
Circle one: yes or no
Section 3: Click Plates and Boundaries
1. There are ______major tectonic plates. There are 2 main types of tectonic plates. They are
______and ______.
2. ______plates are thicker and usually ______than oceanic
plates.
3. The names of the plates usually refer to ______, ______or regions
of the globe where they are located.
4. What are the names of the 15 major tectonic plates?
1. 9.
2. 10
3. 11.
4. 12.
5. 13.
6. 14.
7. 15.
8.
5. The border between two tectonic plates is called a ______. There are 3
different types. Draw and describe what happens at each of them.
Convergent:
Divergent:
Transform:
6. Carefully study the map below the boundaries descriptions to see where each plate is located,
particularly the minor plates. Then roll over the key to see where the various boundary types are
and what think about what action is taking place there. Then, take the Plates and Boundaries
Challenge.
Record your score: ______/15 Record your next score: ______/22
Section 4: Slip, Slide and Collide
1. Where do most geological events occur?
Explore the Convergent Boundaries and Colliding Plates by rolling the mouse over the diagrams and reading the information on the page. Describe how each of the following develop, using the diagrams and written information.
2. Subduction Zones-
3. Volcanoes-
4. Island Arcs-
5. Tsunami-
6. Mountains-
Divergent Boundaries and Spreading Plates: View the video on how rifts develop. Using this diagram,
draw how a rift is formed. Be sure to label the diagram with the following vocabulary: volcano, lake, rift valley, and magma. Don’t forget to draw arrows to show the direction of movement.
Transform Boundaries- Grinding Plates
7. At a transform boundary, a ______is created when two tectonic plates
______past each other in a ______direction. This type of
fault produces ______. The fault at this boundary is called a
______- ______fault. The best studied of these is the
______fault in California.
8. Describe in your own words how an earthquake occurs.
Take the Plate Interactions Challenge. Record your score below. ______/ 10
TEST SKILLS QUIZ: Take the quiz. There are 30 questions. When finished, review any questions you
missed. Do not print your results!
How many of the questions did you get correct? ______/30.
Below, write which of the number(s) of the question(s) you missed.