Shaping Earth

Continental Drift

• Theory that the continents have drifted over time
  • Created by Alfred Wegener
• Believed all the continents were once together and called it Pangea
• It broke apart and the continents drifted to where they are now.

Plate Tectonics

• Term used to describe the movements of tectonic plates 
• There are 3 types of movement
  • Convergent- two plates are pushed together
  • Divergent- two plates are pushed apart
  • Transform- two plates slide past each other
• This causes mountains to form, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions
• Pacific Ring of Fire

Weathering

• 3 Types
  • Mechanical- Also called physical weathering, this is when things are broken down naturally
  • Chemical- something is broken down because of a chemical reaction
  • Biological- when things are broken down because of living organisms

Erosion

• Once something has been weathered into smaller pieces, those smaller pieces are likely to erode.
• This is when weathered materials are moved through natural processes.
• Usually comes from wind or water
• The Grand Canyon