Science Grade 10 Quarter 1 Lesson 1

Plate Tectonics

A theory that explains the surface of the earth is broken into large and small lithospheric plates which are moving slowly.

Alfred Wegener

a German meteorologist, and geophysicist hypothesized, he proposed, and suggested that all the continents were once joined in a single supercontinent

PANGAEA

the continents were once joined in a single supercontinent, called

Alfred Wegener

He suggested that Pangaea began to break up about 200 million years ago and the pieces drifted apart to form the present day continents

Lithosphere

is the outermost layer of Earth composed of the upper part of the mantle and the crust.

tectonicus

Latin word of tectonics

tektonikos

Greek word for tectonics

To build

Latin word tectonicus or - Greek word tektonikos, - which means

continental crust

is thicker and less dense, which makes it "float"

plates

The plate tectonics theory suggests that the lithosphere is divided into fragments

Pacific plate

moves at a rate of approximately 8 cm (3 inches) per year

North american plate

is moving at approximately 3 cm (1 inch) per year.

Pacific Ring of Fire/Circum-Pacific Belt

is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.

The Philippine tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate.

The volcanoes of the Philippines are produced at the junction of the

Trench

a type of excavation or depression in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide.

erosion

In geology, trenches result from ____ by rivers or by geological movement of tectonic plates.

Luzon, Northern sierra madre, Southern Sierra Madre-Polillo-Catanduanes, Negros, east Philippines, Central Mindanao, Cotabato-Daguma, Sulu-Zamboanga

The major magmatic arcs related to subduction along the different trenches surrounding the Philippine archipelago include

seismic waves

Earthquakes release different types of

primary and secondary waves

travel within the interior of Earth and are responsible for the detection of the epicenter of an earthquake. Waves such as long surface waves and Rayleigh waves are surface waves.

seismographs

Seismologists make use of ___ to record earthquake waves

seismograms

The records generated are called

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

PHIVOLCS

The Himalayas

Are a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest