Plate Tectonics

1. Framework:
 Plate Tectonics: Earth as a dynamic planet;
 the interior structure of Earth: crust, mantle, core;
 lithosphere: continental vs. oceanic; asthenosphere;
 lithospheric plates & their geographic location; plate boundaries;
 framework for explaining various geologic phenomena;
 the driver of plate tectonics: mantle convection currents (due to Earth’s internal heat
engine – fueled by radioactive decay)
 Large-scale topographic features of Earth (on continents, in ocean basins) &
Earth’s Hypsographic curve; continental vs. oceanic crust (densities); distribution
of elevation/depth on planet Earth; the importance of plate tectonics; “upbuilding”
(plate tectonic processes) vs. “down bringing” (gravity, erosion)
 Plate boundaries: occurrence of earthquakes, volcanism, topography;
divergent/constructive, convergent/destructive, transform/conservative;
 Mid-ocean ridges, basaltic volcanism, creation of new ocean floor, sea-floor
spreading, magnetic stripes, age distribution, elevation differences; spreading
rates; seafloor ages; Iceland;
 Subduction zones, subduction zone volcanism, and earthquakes; trench; oceanic
lithosphere (downgoing plate), oceanic or continental lithosphere (overriding
plate); continent-continent collision; mountain building; island arcs; subduction
mountains – Andes; collision mountains – Himalaya + Tibet
 Transform faults, San Andreas Fault/California;
 Intraplate volcanism and mantle plumes (example: Hawaii); stationary mantle
plumes, hot spots
 Supercontinents (Pangea, Panthalassa), Rodinia; the ever-changing face of the
Earth
 Wilson Cycle: life-cycle of oceans (continental rifting stage [e.g., East Africa],
incipient ocean stage [e.g., Red Sea], mature ocean stage [e.g., Atlantic Ocean],
shrinking ocean stage [e.g., Pacific Ocean], ocean demise stage [e.g.
The himalayas])
 Continental drift, Alfred Wegener; arguments supporting continental drift (match
of continents using shelf margins; paleoclimatology; fossils and evolution;
matching rock provinces and structures; paleomagnetism’ ocean floor rocks)

2. Reading: Textbook Chapter 11, Chapter 12 (p. 425, 428-433)
3. Augmentation:
Physical Geography Su20 M-06 Plate Tectonics Dr. Dorsch
The Geography of Plates
Plate Boundary Map: convergent = destructive (process: subduction); divergent = constructive
(process: seafloor spreading); transform = conservative
Physical Geography Su20 M-06 Plate Tectonics Dr. Dorsch
Plate tectonics & earthquake distribution (note depth of earthquakes – convergent plate
boundaries with deep-focus earthquakes; all plate boundaries show earthquake activity)
Plate tectonics & volcanoes (convergent & divergent boundaries with volcanism, transform
boundaries lack volcanism; notice also intraplate volcanoes – i.e., not associated with plate
boundaries)
Physical Geography Su20 M-06 Plate Tectonics Dr. Dorsch
Age of ocean floor map (link this up to plate boundaries)
The topography of the ocean floor
Mary Tharp and the topography of the ocean floor:

Marie Tharp and Mapping the Ocean Floor

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Physical Geography Su20 M-06 Plate Tectonics Dr. Dorsch
Earth’s hypsographic curve: The bar graph (left) gives the percentage of Earth’s surface area at
various ranges of elevation and depth. The cumulative hypsographic curve (right) gives the percentage of
surface area from the highest peaks to the deepest depths of the oceans. Also shown is the average
ocean depth and land elevation. (Source: Pearson Prentice Hall)
4. Comprehension:
a) Plate Tectonics basics – for illustration (video):

b) Paleogeography & future global geography

5. Review:
(1) What is hot spot volcanism and how can it explain the Hawaiian island chain?