Wegener

Pangae

aContinental

Drift

Evidence for Continental Drift

Mesosaurus dino fossils Glossopteris

plant fossils

Formation and age of particular mountains

Shape of continents

Plate Tectonics- earth’s lithosphere is cracked into sections called “PLATES”

Evidence found in the ocean floor~

seafloor spreading

Plate movement-

caused by convection currents

Plate Movement Labeled

Converging Plates

Convergent Plates2 Land carrying plates converge pushing each other up forming mts.

Converging Oceans

2 ocean plates converge and the more dense plate will subduct beneath the less dense plate.

Converging Land with Ocean Plate

The denser ocean plate subducts beneath the continental plate forming mountains and or volcanoes.

Diverging Plates

When 2 ocean plates diverge a ridge is formed

Seafloor Spreading

Another name for 2 ocean plates diverging.

When 2 continental plates diverge a rift valley forms

Transform BoundaryTwo plates move side to side. When the plates get stuck and suddenly release, an earthquake occurs

Ring of Fire

Pacific Plate- Ring of Fire the Pacific Plate is moving north west relative to the plate

that holds North America as it rotates around Hawaii.

www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/plate-tectonics2.html

The movement of the plate involves subduction of itself or the plate it moves against and is causing earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches and ridges around the entire perimeter of the plate~ hence the ring of fire.

Websites for Plate Tectonicshttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/glossary/Pangaea.shtml

http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/pltec/index.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/interactive/index.html?section=t

http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/quakes/plates/divergent.html