Plate Tectonics

All of the continentes sit on tectonic plates. Each year they move a tiny but. They move just as fast as fingernails grow. (Which by the way, is not fast). They mostly move in a range of 2-6 centimeters per year. Have you ever wondered why there are so many earthquakes here in California? This is because we sit on a fault line. Which is the outcome of a transform boundary, where two plates slide past each other. We have this faultline because parts of california sit on a plate boundary. This is the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

S&EP
SP3:Conducting Investigations

I found out about the different plate boundaries and where they were when I investigated where each one was. I also was able to figure out how fast each plate moves. I also figured out what direction each of them were going. This is useful to predict things like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

XCC
Cross-Cutting Concepts: System and System Models

Tectonic plate movement is like a system. Caused by the convection currents in the mantle, the plates move and collide or diverge. If one thing in the system goes wrong, the whole things could stop. It the plates did not hit each other, they would eventually have to stop diverging. Then what would they do? If the convection currents stopped flowing the plates just wouldn't move. Tectonic plates is an intricately woven system.

Plate Tectonics Quiz Regrade

Convergent boundaries is the correct answer because these plate boundaries can form volcanoes which is the a path way for magma to push itself up onto the earth's surface. This now makes sense to me that I am looking back into my notes.

Convergent boundary is the correct answer because not all plates go towards each other. Take Divergent boundaries, they go away from each other. Therefore not all plate boundaries come together or go towards each other.

Transform boundary is the correct answer because transform boundaries slide past each other making fault lines. Also, when they slide past each other they create earthquakes. Therefore California would sit on a transform boundary.

Tectonic Plates

                      Forming Mountains                                           Subduction zones

             
                Divergent Boundaries                                                  Materials Needed




                 Spreading Frosting                                                   Transform Boundaries

Have you every felt an earthquake before? Or seen a volcano erupt? Did you ever wonder why those things happen? Well the reason that these things happen is because of plate tectonics; The movement of the different pieces of crust caused by the convection currents of the mantle. Before we get into plate tectonic and earthquakes and volcanoes, lets look at it's history. Plate tectonics was discovered back in the 1900's by a scientist named Alfred Wegener. He first discovered that the plates moved when he looked at a map and realized that some of the continents looked like they could fit together. After a long time and lots of research Alfred Wegener was able to fit the continents together AND found lots of evidence to prove his point. Like fossils of dinosaurs that couldn't swim but were found on two sides of the ocean. Or rock formations of the same type from the same time period but on different continents. Though he had a lot of evidence, he still did not now how the continents moved. When he presented his idea's to the world of science he was laughed at and not taken seriously. It was only after Alfred Wegener died that scientists were able to discover tectonic plates. For, it was not the continents moving, it was the tectonic plates they sat on that was moving. But overall Alfred Wegener was right, Pangea, his super continent, was an actual thing.

Now that we have the background of plate tectonics, we can talk about what it is. Tectonic plates is the name that we give to the pieces of the earths crust. Now these plates move because of the convection currents in the earths mantle. You can't see them move, but you can feel it. This is where plate boundaries come in. Plate boundaries are the places where to plates meet. There are different types of boundaries that all give different results. There are divergent boundaries; where to plates push apart from each other and create mid-ocean ridges and valley rifts. There are transform boundaries; where to plates slide past each other and create fault lines and earthquakes. There are oceanic and continental crust collision boundaries; where oceanic and continental crusts collide and the oceanic crust goes under the continental crust and gets recycled back into the earth. This creates subduction zones and sometimes volcanoes further inland. Then there is continental crust collision boundaries; where to continental crusts push against each other to create mountains. So next time you see that there is going to be an earthquake in your area, you can thank Alfred Wegener for the heads up.

S&EP
SP2: Building models

I showed my work through a model when I did a lab on plate tectonics. I used frosting as the mantles and gram crackers and fruit roll ups as the crust. I then represented each type of boundary and what the affects where. After this I had a better understanding of how the plates moved and how that affects the earth.

XCC
Cross-Cutting Concept: Cause and effect

The whole process of plate tectonics is a big cause and effect story. You see, every type of boundary or way that a plate moves affects things. For example, at a transform boundary when the two plates slide past each other it then creates fault lines and earthquakes. The cause being that the plates are sliding past each other and the effect being the fault lines and earthquakes. This cause and effect is true for all kinds of plate boundaries. You just have to plug in the information, like the movement of the plate, and then what does that movement of the plate do to the earth, like form mountains or volcanoes.

The rock cycle

         The rock cycle is what we use to describe the change in the form of rocks. Where we tend to start in the cycle is with a normal rock. A normal rock that over time is eroded and weathered into particles of rocks. From here these particles usually collect in water. This is where they are compacted and cemented in with other particles call sediment. Over time this creates sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is usually soft and breakable. You can see different pebbles and rocks. This is also the type of rock most likely to contain fossils. Some sedimentary rocks include limestone and conglomerate. Over the next few million years this rock is heated and compacted under the earth's surface to create metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks have ribbon-like layers and usually contain crystals form the soft minerals growing on the rock over time. Metamorphic rocks include marble and gneiss. Then after a lot of heat the metamorphic rock turns to magma. When this magma cools it creates igneous rock. Igneous rocks are usually shiny and have gas bubbles. But because this rock cools so fast there are no crystals. This cycle then repeats.

S&EP
SP3: Conducting Investigations

We simulated the rock cycle using starbursts to deeply investigate the rock cycle. First we cut us the starbursts and squished them together to create sedimentary rock. Then we used the heat from our hands and pressed the starburst to create metamorphic rock. Then we used a microwave to melt the starburst and then let it cool into "igneous rock."

Crosscutting concepts
XCC:Cause and Effect

There are many cause and effect situations in the rock cycle. Like, because of the cementing and compacting the sediment turns into a sedimentary rock. Or, because of the heat and pressure the rock them turns into a metamorphic rock. This happens for every type of rock. The reason why the rock changes is the cause. The rock that has just recently changed is the effect.