Plate Tectonics 2.

Continent – oceanic crust collision (Subduction)

 The earth’s crust is divided into 12 major which are moved
in various directions
 This plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or
scrape against each other.
 Each type of interaction causes a characteristics set of
Earth structures or “tectonic” features.
 The word tectonic refers to the deformation of crust as a
consequence of plate interaction.
What are tectonic plates made of?
 Plates are made of rigid lithosphere.
The lithosphere is made up of the crust and the upper
part of the mantle.
Plate Movement
 Plates of lithosphere are moved around by the underlying
hot mantle convection cells.
- oceanic lithosphere subducts underneath the
continental lithosphere.
- Oceanic lithosphere heats and dehydrates as it
subsides.
- The melt rises forming volcanism.
- e.g. The Andes
3.Ocean – ocean collision
- when two oceanic plates collide, one runs over the other
which causes it to sink into the mantle forming a
subduction zone.
- the subducting plate is bent downward to form a very
deep depression in the ocean floor called trench.
- The world’s deepest parts of the ocean are found along
trenches e.g. The Mariana Trench which is 11 km deep.
- Trenches are the deepest part of the ocean and
remained largely unexplored.
Transform Boundaries

 where plates slide pass each other

Three types of plate boundary
 The San Andreas fault, adjacent to which the US city of
1. Divergent San Francisco is built in an example of a transform
2. Convergent boundary between Pacific Plate and North American
3. Transform Plate.
 The red dot shows the location of active volcanism. For
Divergent Boundaries this region this area is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

 Spreading ridges Volcanoes can be formed in three ways:

- As plates move apart new material is erupted to fill
the gap. 1.Subduction – the subducting slab dehydrates to form new
 In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary is a linear feature melt that will rise through the crust to be erupted at the
that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving surface.
away from each other. These areas can form in the middle
2.Rifting – when two plates pull Rifting – when two plates pull
of continents or on ocean floor.
apart magma rises, producing volcanic eruptions at the surface.
 As the plates pull apart, hot molten material can rise up
this newly formed pathway to the surface causing volcanic
3.Hotspots - hotspots do not necessarily occur along a plate
activity.
boundary. So hotspot volcanoes can form in the middle of
 Where a divergent boundary forms on a continent it is
tectonic plates and it is located in the middle of Pacific Plate.
called a Rift or Continental Rift, e.g. African Rift Valley
- a hotspot is a location on the earth’s surface that has
Iceland – an example of continental rifting and has a
experience active volcanism for a long period of time.
divergent plate boundary running through its middle.
- the source of this volcanism is a mantle plume or hot mantle
 When a divergent boundary forms under the ocean it is material rising up.
called an Ocean Ridge.
What are Hotspots Volcanoes?
Convergent Boundaries
 Hot mantle plumes breaching the surface in the
 Convergent boundaries are where the plates move middle of a tectonic plate.
towards each other.
 The Hawaiian island chain are example of hotspot
volcanoes.
There are three styles of convergent boundaries
Plate Tectonics – Eurasian, North American, South American,
1.Continent – continent collision
Philippine, Australian, Pacific, Cocos, Antartic, Scotia, Nazca,
- forms mountains, e.g. European Alps and Himalayas.
Caribbean, Indian, African, Arabian and Juan de Fuca.
Rocks

 Solid in formed 2.Exogenous Process (Gradational Process) – small landform.

 Organic Comprise degradation and aggradation. The modify relief.

Minerals
Denudation – destruct, removal of composition of rocks.
 Naturally formed
 Inorganic 1.Degradation – called denudation process.
 Crystals
a. Weathering c. Erosion
 Not made by rocks
 Have definite chemical make up b. Mass wasting d. Transportation

Metal + non-metal = compound 2. Aggradation - Decomposing/Decomposition.

 Metal (+) e. depositon - fluvial, eolian, glacial, coastal

 Non-metal (-)

Three types of Rocks:

Types of Weathering:
1. Igneous Rocks – ignite – heat – melting + cooling
 Intrusive – magma – larger  Physical or mechanical weathering – high temp – extreme
 Extrusive – lava – smaller cold. Disintegration of rocks.
2. Sedimentary Rocks – particles = weathered – eroded – - Frost wedging
compacting – cementing. - Soft wedging
 Classic – fragments of rocks - Expoliation
 Organic – fossil remain of plants and animals
 Chemical – glued together by dissolved minerals
3. Metamorphic Rocks – change= heating of rocks and
 Chemical weathering – decompose of rocks
pressure.
- Oxidation - important in iron rich
 Foliated – crystals aligned in layers
- Hydrolysis – igneous rocks has silica and water
 Non-foliated – crystal arrange in manners
- Carbonation and Solution – carbon dioxide dissolved
in water. Soluble product (calcium bicarbonate)

Geomorphic Process – physical process which create and modify

landform from the earth’s surface.
 Biological weathering – involved living things (plants and
Types: animals)
- Roots – physically break
1. Endogenous Process (in) 2. Exogenous Process (out) - Lichens – (algae and fungi) remove minerals and
weaken rocks
1. Endogenous Process – large scale landform building and - Burrowing Animals – can increase weathering
transforming. They create relief.

Two types of Endogenous Process:

 Erosion and Transportation – various geomorphic agents,
a. Igneous Process associated processes and results erosional features.
 Volcanism – volcanic eruption (out)
 Plutonism – igneous intrusion (in) -Flowing water – fluvial morphology – winds – tides and
waves – moving ice.
b. Tectonic Process – Diastrophism
 Folding – mountain
 Faulting – rift valley
 Lateral faulting – strike-slip fault

Earthquake – evidence of present day of tectonic activity.