Plate Tectonics

Core:Core: mass of nickel,iron and radioactive elements that release a lot of heat

Mantle: liquid layer of magma surrounding core, kept liquified by intense heat from core

Asthenosphere: solid, flexible outer layer of mantle beneath the lithosphere

Lithosphere: thin, brittle layer of rock floating on top of mantle

Crust: earths surface, outer layer of the lithosphere

                                        Plate Boundaries

Divergent Plate boundary: plates that divide- seafloor spreading

Convergent Plate Boundary: plates move towards each other- mountains

Transform Fault Plate Boundary: plates slide past each other in opposite directions- earthquakes

                                        Convection Cycle (divergent)

Magma is heated and rises towards the lithosphere. Rising magma cools and expands forcing oceanic plates away

Magma cools and solidifies into new lithosphere

Sinking oceanic plate melts back into magma, forces magma up, creating narrow, coastal mountains and volcanoes on land

                                         Convergent Boundary = subduction Zone

Oceanic-oceanic: one plate subducts underneath other

    force magama up to lithosphere surface, forming mid ocean volcanoes

Oceanic-Continental: dense oceanic plates subducts beneath continental plate and melts back into magma.

    Force magma to lithosphere,volcanoes on land

Continental-continental: One plate subducts under another other, forcing surface crus upward (SUBDUCTION= ONE PLATE DUCKS UNDER OTHER)

                                        Transform Fault Boundary

Plates sliding past each other in opposite directions creates a fault

Earthquakes: most common activity

Pressure builds as plates keep sliding, but the edge stays stuck. When stress overcomes the locked fault, plates suddenly release, slide past each other and release energy that shakes the lithosphere

                                        Tectonic Map can predict….

Ring of fire: Patter of volcanoes all around pacific plate

Transform faults: Likely location of earthquakes

Hotspots: areas of esp. hot magma rising up to lithosphere (mid-ocean Islands iceland, hawaii)