Virtual Lab #2

Plate Tectonics
INSTRUCTIONS: Perform Stage 1-3 of Virtual Lab #2 Complete the worksheet below Submit for grade

Stage 1: 1. Based on the distribution of types fossils and the shape of the continents, my lab assistants and I have determined that the most likely reason for the same plant fossils appearing in South America and Africa is that:

The continents one formed a single landmass, broke up, and moved to their present location. The continents were connected. _______________________________________________________________________

2. We are glad to be of help! We have determined a map of plate boundaries and seen how they relate to the continents. We found out that plate boundaries:

Tend to be near mid ocean ridges, mountain ranges and trenches. _______________________________________________________________________

Stage 2: Emperor Seamount Chain Data

Suiko 2 7.48 cm/yr

4,860 km

65 million years

Kauai years

519 km 10.38 cm/yr

5 million

1. We have done some calculations to find the rate of motion of three volcanoes in the Emperor Seamount Chain. From the data we collected, we can tell that the average rate of motion of the Pacific plate over the last 65 million years is about: 7 cm/yr

(PROCEED TO STAGE 3 AND NEXT WORKSHEET)

Stage3: Stress Lab 1. Compression: Compression is stress that: pushes rocks together

Compression causes faults in which: the hanging wall slide up relative to the footwall.

This type of fault is a: reverse fault

2. Tension: Tension is stress that: _pulls rock apart _____________________________________________

Tension causes faults in which: the hanging wall slides down relative to the footwall ______________________________________

This type of fault is a: normal fault ______________________________________________

3. Shear Stress: Shear stress is stress that: slide apart of rock horizontally past one another. __________________________________________

Shear stress causes faults in which: the rocks slide horizontally past each other. ___________________________________

This type of fault is a: strike-slip fault ______________________________________________

4. Observe the image and the arrows that show the direction of stress. What type of fault would you expect to see at this type of plate boundary? faults ________________________ Reveries

5. Observe the image and the arrows that denote the direction of stress. What type of fault would you expect to see at this type of plate boundary? Normal faults ________________________