Plate Tectonics Research Paper

Millie Newton

Miss Amiat

22 February 2018

Plate Tectonics

definition of plate tectonics

Plate tectonics is the study of the structure of the earths crust & mantle with reference to the theory that the earths lithosphere is divided into large rigid blocks that are floating on semi fluid rock and are thus able to interact with each other at their boundaries and to the associated theories of continental drift and sea floor spreading. There are a few handfuls of major plates and dozens of minor plates. Seven of the major plates are named for the continents, such as African, Antarctic, North American, Eurasian, Indo Australian , Pacific and South American. Plate Tectonics explains why earth quakes and volcanoes are concentrated on specific

Scientists today have been able to develop Wagner’s theory and prove that when you place all the continents in their past places they fit together to form one whole continent which was formally named Pangea. Shape of the continents is a major piece of evidence for plate tectonics because it proves that it all used to be one continent but broke away over time thus proving that the earths surface shifts which can also be known as plate tectonics.

Definition of continental drift

Continental drift is a theory that continents move, crash into each other’s surface, and form new continents over periods of geological time, although the continental drift theory was discarded, it did introduce the idea of continents moving to geoscience and decades later scientists would confirm some of Wenger’s ideas such as the past existence of a supercontinent also known as Pangea joining all worlds landmasses at one.

Causes of continental

Earth quakes are caused when tectonic plates build up pressure by colliding with another tectonic plate by suddenly releasing the energy and causing them to snap. Tsunamis are caused by earth quakes when the energy is released in the water. Volcanoes are created by inter-plate activity where magma pushes up between cracks in tectonic plate boundaries , the drift of hotspots in continental plates which pushes magma through the surface. Islands are formed when sea mounts which is an under water volcano appear above the water as they erupt they build up layers of lava that may eventually break the waters surface, thus causing a island to appear over geological