1. The Earth is a dynamic. system in which change is constantly occurring. The
movement of the continents and the growth of mountain ranges occur very slowly over millions of years. However, the shock of an earthquake, volcanic eruption and even land slips change the face of the Earth in a very short period of time. 2. Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of plate tectonics, in which he believed the continents on the Earth were not fixed but were floating on denser. material in the upper mantle., and that these floating continents were constantly breaking apart from each other and rejoining in new combinations in a process he called continental drift. 3. In the distant past, all of the Earths continents were part of a single super-continent that was called Pangaea. Eventually this super continent broke up into a large northern continent called Laurasia and a large southern continent called Gondwana. 4. The theory of plate tectonics. explains continental drift. The crust of the Earth is divided into large tectonic plates that move in response to convection. currents in the upper mantle. Collisions between plates are responsible for earthquakes and volcanic. action. 5. Plates can spread apart due to magma rising from the mantle. This occurs at mid-ocean ridges. 6. Oceanic plates can collide with continental plates at subduction. zones. The oceanic plate goes under the continental plate and this leads to mountain building, earthquakes and volcanic activity. 7. Continents can collide at collision . zones. In this case large mountains such as the Himalayas are formed. 8. Plates may slide past each other and cause earthquakes. These fault. lines are called transform or slip-strike faults. 9. Rocks deep within the earths crust are heated and put under pressure. Under these conditions the layers of rock can fold. . Rock layers may also undergo faulting. Faults can be classified as normal. faults or reverse faults. 10. The movement of the crust can lead to an earthquake. This occurs at a point down, inside the crust called the focus. The point on the earths surface above the focus is the epicentre and this is the site of greatest destruction. Seismographs. record the earthquake waves. The Richter scale measures the magnitude. of the earthquake. 11. Volcanoes are formed when magma rises from the mantle towards the surface. Lava. is forced out of the ground and it may form a cone shaped volcano or lava John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
Science Quest 9 Student Workbook
fields. The Pacific Rim is a major site of volcanic action due to the interaction of tectonic plates.