Phase 1 Plate Tectonics

Front 1

List 5 pieces of evidence that Alfred Wegener used to defend his theory of continental drift.

Back 1

1. Continents fit together like a puzzle.
2. Matching fossils found on continents separated by oceans.
3. Matching glacier scarring found on continents separated by oceans.
4. Fossils of plants that are tropical found in countries that are too cold to have tropical plants.
5. Rock patterns and layers matched in countries separated by oceans.

Front 2

What are glaciers?

Back 2

Huge slabs of ice that slowly move across land, drifting to the ocean. As they move across land they drag rocks underneath them that scratch or scar the ground underneath.

Front 3

What are fossils?

Back 3

Preserved marks of bodies left in the ground from dead plants and animals.

Front 4

Are the rocks newer or older nearest the mid-Atlantic ridge?

Back 4

The rocks are newer or younger. They get progressively older as you move away from the ridge.

Front 5

What is a trench?

Back 5

A deep part of the ocean. Trenches are often formed when one plate is pushed under another.

Front 6

What is a continental shelf

Back 6

An underwater shelf of land surrounding the coast before you reach the drop off into the ocean
<img>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Continental_shelf.png</img>

Front 7

What is a continental shelf?

Back 7

An underwater shelf of land surrounding the coast before you reach the drop off into the ocean
<IMG SRC="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Continental_shelf.png">

Front 8

What is the mid-ocean ridge?

Back 8

An underwater mountain and volcano range where new magma is pushing up forming new land and pushing the plates apart.
src: http://www.platetectonics.com/oceanfloors/images/Africa-South_America_4.jpg

Front 9

What is the abyssal plain?

Back 9

The flat part of the bottom of the ocean floor.

Front 10

What is sea floor spreading?

Back 10

A theory proposed by Harry Hess that magma is pushing up in the middle of the ocean creating a ridge. This magma pushin gup also causes the land on either side of the ridge to move apart.

Front 11

What is some of the evidence of sea floor spreading?

Back 11

1. Age of rocks
2. magnetism patterns of the rocks

Front 12

What happens to magma as it reaches the surface?

Back 12

It turns into rock.

Front 13

What is magma?

Back 13

hot liquid rock inside the earth

Front 14

When scientists plotted earthquake locations on the map, what did they see?

Back 14

The earthquakes occur in puzzle like patterns around the earth. Scientists believe these are the edge of the plates.

Front 15

What are "plates" in the plate tectonic theory?

Back 15

Plates are huge puzzle-like slabs of land that cover the Earth's surface. Earthquakes and volcanoes tend to happen at their boundaries.

Front 16

In the sea floor model and mapping activity, what type of map did you create?

Back 16

A topographical one

Front 17

Many earthquakes happen when...

Back 17

the plates move.

Front 18

Did people always know what caused earthwuakes to happen?

Back 18

No, it took a long time and many wrong theories until we came up with today's theory of plate tectonics.

Front 19

Why didn't people believe Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift and what changed their mind?

Back 19

They didn't believe him because they didn't think huge slabs of land like a continent could ever move. Harry Hess's theory of sea floor spreading provided the explanation of how continents could move.

Front 20

What does matching fossils in South America and Africa suggest?

Back 20

These two continents were once joined together and have since <i>moved</i> apart.

Front 21

What does a tropical plant fossil in cold North Eastern America suggest?

Back 21

This continent was once located in a warm tropical area and has since <i>moved</i> north.

Front 22

What does the shape of South America and Africa suggest?

Back 22

These two continents fit together and may have once been together but have since <i>moved</i> apart.

Front 23

What is the theory of Continental Drift?

Back 23

Originally suggested by Alfred Wegener which states that all the <i>continents</i> were once joined together but have since <i>drifted</i> to their current location. Nobody believed him at the time.

Front 24

What is the theory of sea floor spreading?

Back 24

Suggested by Harry Hess, he mapped the bottom of the ocean floor, discovered the mid-ocean ridge and investigated the ages of rocks. He suggested that new magma coming up through the ridge pushed the continents apart.

Front 25

What is the theory of plate tectonics

Back 25

Most recent theory based on mapping earthquakes. It suggests that the earth's surface is broken up into giant slabs of land that piece together.

Front 26

If new land is made at ocean ridges, is it also possible to destroy land?

Back 26

Yes, the plates (huge slabs of land) can also be pushed underneath each other and melted back into magma. This often occurs at trenches.

Front 27

Using this map below, identify which letter represents the trench. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48075577@N00/4289475013/" title="topo_map_quiz by stanleyrainbow, on Flickr"></a>

Back 27

F

It is the deepest part of the ocean floor.

Front 28

Using this map below, identify which letter represents the abyssal plain.

Back 28

C

It is the ocean floor.

Front 29

Using the map below, which letter represents the land at sealevel? ">

Back 29

A

The Key shows you the depth and green is labelled as sea level.

Front 30

Using the map below, which letter represents the continental shelf?

Back 30

B

It is the underwater ribbon of land that surrounds the coast.

Front 31

Using the map below, which letter represents the underwater volcano?

Back 31

E

You can tell it is raised off the ocean floor.

Front 32

Using the map below, which letter represents the mid ocean ridge?

Back 32

D

This land forms a ridge along the ocean floor.