Description : Student activity where they calculate the speed of a moving tectonic plate by using the ages of rocks across the Hawaii Island chain. This is a great activity to show how hot spot evidence can provide us plate
Rocks of Ages
Understanding Polar Reversals
Understanding polar reversals helps us to understand an important piece of evidence for Plate Tectonics. When molten rock cools, some of the minerals that form contain enough iron to be magnetic such as magnetite and hematite. This means that once
Divergent Plate Boundaries
One of the most amazing places on the Earth’s crust is where two massive continental plates are moving apart. Almost 99% of thee areas take place under the oceans, which just a few exceptions above sea level, such as the African
Evidence for Plate Tectonics
The evidence for Plate Tectonics is very conclusive. It is very well supported theory, and while scientific debate continues about small parts or local effects, the overall concept is accepted as good as fact. So what are the pieces of
Boundaries – how the crustal plates interact
The Earth’s plates don’t just sit there. They move and interact at their boundaries – and that is what makes our planet so dynamic. The volcanoes, the earthquakes, and even climate are all related to the movement and position of
Plates – understanding the tectonic jigsaw pieces.
The Earth’s crust is broken up into around seventeen major pieces that we call tectonic plates. These plates form a jigsaw pattern around the planet with their edges interacting to cause earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges and deep ocean trenches.
The Earth’s Crust – a simple way to view it.
The Earth’s crust – that outermost rocky layer of our planet – can be daunting to understand. To start with the vast majority (around 70%) of it lies under our oceans. The rest of the Earth’s crust seems to