1. Plate Tectonics

2. What is Plate Tectonics?
Theory that suggests that Earth’s crust is broken into plates and are moving.

3. What are Earth’s Plates?
Earth’s crust (the lithosphere) is the solid part of the planet. The crust is broken into pieces that make up the plates.

4. Transform Boundaries Plates slide past one another.
Causes Earthquakes.
The San Andres Fault in California is a Transform Plate Boundary.

5. San Andreas Fault

6. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a Divergent Boundary.
Divergent Boundaries
Diverge meaning to pull apart.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a Divergent Boundary.
FUN FACT: North America and Europe are drifting further apart at approximately 3.0 centimeters per year. That is about the speed of a growing fingernail.

7. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge

8. Convergent Boundaries
Converge means to come together.

9. Convergent Boundaries Differ
Continental Crust – Continental Crust
Oceanic Crust – Oceanic Crust
Oceanic Crust – Continental Crust
Thicker
&
LESS
DENSE
Thinner
&
More
Dense

10. Convergent Boundary Oceanic Crust – Oceanic Crust Subduction
Causes volcanoes and earthquakes.

11. Continental Crust – Continental Crust
Convergent Boundary
Continental Crust – Continental Crust
Mountains Form
Earthquakes Felt

12. Oceanic Crust – Continental Crust
Convergent Boundary
Oceanic Crust – Continental Crust
SUBDUCTION
Volcanoes Form
Earthquakes Felt

13. What is making the Plate move?
Convection cells within the Mantle is the driving force of plate tectonics.
Convection cells are caused by differences in density.

14. Plate Tectonics Review
Plate Tectonics is the theory that the Earth’s crust is broken into pieces and are moving.
The interaction of the plates are known as plate boundaries.
There are different types of plate boundaries: Divergent Boundaries, Convergent Boundaries, and Transform Boundaries.
The plates are moving due to convection cells below the crust.

16. Thanks for watching!