EPT - Evidence of Plate Tectonics Module Overview

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Evidence of Plate Tectonics

evidence of plate tectonicsThe invention of new technology often brings about unexpected discoveries and the ability to examine previously unreachable parts of the Earth's surface has provided us with new evidence to further our understanding of how tectonic plates are arranged, the direction that they move, and the mechanism behind this motion. One of the most important discoveries was made by a Naval officer conducting sonar readings of the floor of the Pacific during World War II, but the idea of continental drift had been proposed decades earlier. This module examines the evidence that we have to support our current theory that the crust of the Earth is divided into sections - called "plates" - that move due to forces originating deep within the Earth.

Essential Questions:

  • What is the source of energy that drives plate tectonics, and what is the process that utilizes this energy source?
  • What are some of the different types of scientific evidence used to support the theory of plate tectonics?

Key Words:

  1. Fossils- the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock
  2. Isotopes- two or more forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and hence differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties; in particular, a radioactive form of an element
  3. Nuclear Fission- a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy
  4. Nuclear Fusion- a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy
  5. Paleomagnetism- the branch of geophysics concerned with the magnetism in rocks that was induced by the earth's magnetic field at the time of their formation
  6. Pangaea- the ancient supercontinent, comprising all the present continents joined together, which began to break up about 200 million years ago
  7. Plate Tectonics- a theory explaining the structure of the earth's crust and many associated phenomena as resulting from the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates that move slowly over the underlying mantle
  8. Radioactive Decay- the process by which the nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting radiation, including alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, and conversion electrons; a material that spontaneously emits such radiation is considered radioactive

Go through the vocabulary review activity below:

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