The Ocean Floor And Plate Tectonics Worksheet

This creates new ocean crust.

The ocean floor and plate tectonics worksheet.

Plate tectonics describes the distribution and motion of the plates. This is a mid ocean ridge. These age data also allow the rate of seafloor spreading to be. As upwelling of magma continues the plates continue to diverge a process known as seafloor spreading.

Print ocean drilling as evidence for plate tectonics worksheet 1. 2 introduction earth s lithosphere is divided into mobile plates. Two pieces of evidence for plate tectonics. The subducting plate is bent downward to form a very deep depression in the ocean floor called a trench.

It is an underwater mountain range that forms when magma pushes up on the crust at a divergent boundary. Plate tectonics by combining the sea floor spreading theory with continental drift and information on global seismicity the new theory of plate tectonics became a coherent theory to explain crustal movements. Plate tectonics and the ocean floor. Samples collected from the ocean floor show that the age of oceanic crust increases with distance from the spreading centre important evidence in favour of this process.

Molten rock pushes up from the asthenosphere and pushes the plates apart at the mid ocean ridge. Plate tectonics is the theory that explains how large pieces of the earth s outermost layer called tectonic plates move and change shape. You will recall from a previous chapter that there are three. Bathymetry the shape of the ocean floor is largely a result of a process called plate tectonics the outer rocky layer of the earth includes about a dozen large sections called tectonic plates that are arranged like a spherical jig saw puzzle floating on top of the earth s hot flowing mantle.

The theory of plate tectonics grew out of earlier hypotheses and observations collected during exploration of the rocks of the ocean floor. Seafloor spreading is happening at b. Plates come together. Plate tectonics plate tectonics seafloor spreading.

Plates are composed of lithosphere about 100 km thick that float on the ductile asthenosphere. Spreading ridges and cools on and beneath the ocean floor adding to the plates on either side. Trench systems occur for both continent ocean and ocean ocean boundaries the worlds deepest parts of the ocean are found along trenches. The mariana trench is 11 km deep.

Locations of earthquakes and volcanoes show the plate boundaries and ocean floor features. The growing plates inch away from the ridges widening ocean basins and rafting apart entire continents. Convergent boundary where plates come together or converge we see some dramatic manifestations of plate tectonics. What are the layers of the earth.