wo rising convectional
currents cause an
upwelling of magma
Separate the continents
Makes sea floor spread
Zone B
Two colliding convection
currents make...
Mountain ranges
Deep sea trench
Refer to diagram
Page 152
A
What is a tectonic plate?
Tectonic plates are twelve huge
slabs of rock that make up the
Earth's crust
B
Describe how tectonic plates are
carried along.
Tectonic plates are moved very
slowly by the convection currents
with the mantle
Plates move incredibly slowly-just a few
centimetres a year, on the liquid magma. Global
positioning satellites track their movement
The plates
Pacific
Eurasion
African
Indo-Australian
South American
North American
Antarctic
Earthquakes
Happen when tectonic plates
suddenly move against each
other.
When plates are caught on each other friction and pressure
builds up and at one sudden point the pressure is released
causing an earthquake
E.g. San Andreas fault
Place the plates slip-Focus
Undersea earthquakes-Tsunamis
How well can we
predict...
Volcanic Eruptions
Scientists monitor active volcanoes closely to look for signs that an
eruption may happen soon. But scientists are still never exactly
sure when a volcano will erupt, or how severe the eruptions will be
Earthquakes
Scientists can never predict exactly when plates will
suddenly slip . So people living on plate boundaries can
expect an earthquake at any time.