PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Plate Tectonics
THE THEORY THAT PIECES OF EARTH'S LITHOSPHERE ARE IN CONSTANT MOTION.
Convection Currents
The movement of fluid, caused by differences in temperature, that transfers heat from one part of the fluid to another.
Slab Pull
The pulling of oceanic plates down into the mantle due to gravity.
Ridge Push
The force of gravity acting on the dense oceanic crust which pulls the crust into the mantle.
Divergent Plate Boundaries
Two tectonic plates pulling away from each other.
When divergent plate boundaries occur, they create rift valleys on land.
In the ocean, when divergent plate boundaries occur they create Mid Ocean Ridges.
Convergent Plate Boundaries
Two tectonic plates coming towards each other.
When ocean and continental crust converge they form volcanic arcs and trenches, such as, The Andes Mountains.
When ocean and ocean crust converge they form an island arcs and trenches, such as, Aleutian Islands.
When continental crust converges with continental crust it forms mountain ranges, such as, the Himalayas.
Subduction Zone
Two tectonic plates meet as one bends underneath the other plunging into the mantle.
Deep Ocean Trench
A deep valley that is created in the subduction zone when one plate slides underneath the other, such as, Felix Andries Vening Meinesz.
Transform Plate Boundaries
Two tectonic plates slide directly past each other.
When plates move along transform boundaries, it causes earthquakes.
An example of a transform boundary is San Andreas Fault in California.
