Lab 3 Assignment_F2F.docx

Lab 3: Plate Tectonics GEOG 1113L – Introduction to Landforms Lab Name: _____________ I. The Saga of Supercontinents 1. What has driven the Earth’s advances and setbacks, explosions of life, and its extinction events? The movement of the continents, the ground beneath our feet is always moving. 2. What mid-20 th century discovery solidified the theory of continental drift? What is the significance of this feature? The discovery of undersea mountain ranges and undersea spreading in the Atlantic solidified the theory. This is important because it proves mountain ranges and trenches are created by tectonic plate movement thus proves the movement of the continents. 3. Another primary mechanism of plate tectonics is called ________, where oceanic crust slides under continental crust and begins to melt and mix with the mantle. subduction 4. Kenorland was one of the Earth’s first supercontinents that formed _ 2.7-2.5 billion. years ago and was not much bigger than ___Australia_______. 5. Which supercontinent existed at the same time as the Earth’s first animals? Did they live on the land? Pannotia 6. How many supercontinents were mentioned in the video? seven 7. What caused the two major extinctions of Pangaea? Volcanic eruptions 8. How fast are the continents moving? 2.5 centimeters per year

II. Plate Boundaries Open the PowerPoint “Lab 3 Part II_Plate Boundaries”. Read through the definitions and hints on the first slide of the PowerPoint. Draw at least two convergent boundaries and two divergent boundaries on the map using the “Draw” tab in the second slide of the PowerPoint. Make your divergent boundaries green and your convergent boundaries red . Draw arrows on each side of your boundaries to indicate which direction the plates are moving. Upload your completed PowerPoint activity along with your completed lab assignment document to the Lab 3 assignment submission folder on iCollege.

III. The Tectonic Cycle Use the diagram below to help you answer the question. 1. In your own words, describe the lifecycle of Earth’s tectonic plates. Be sure to use the labels in the image to help you provide as much detail as possible. The cycle goes through 3 stages. First there is the formation stage which occurs in the mid ocean range. Here the lithosphere is cracked, the mantle fills with magma which solidifies the seafloor. The second stage is the aging of the tectonic plates. In this stage the plates move away from the ocean ridges (divergent/convergent boundaries). The last stage is the destruction which occurs at the convergent plate boundaries. The plates collide here and can go through subduction.

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