The movement of these tectonic plates is likely caused by convection currents in the molten rock in Earth’s mantle below the crust. Earthquakes and volcanoes are the short-term results of this tectonic movement. The long-term result of
plate tectonics
is the movement of entire continents over millions of years (Fig.
What are the 3 types of continental drift?
There are three kinds of plate tectonic boundaries:
divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries
.
What theory explains the movement of the continents?
Plate tectonics
is the theory that Earth’s land masses are in constant motion. The realization that Earth’s land masses move was first proposed by Alfred Wegener, which he called continental drift.
Do continents move in the same direction?
Part of Hall of Planet Earth. When oceanic or continental plates slide past each other in opposite directions, or move in the same direction but at different speeds, a
transform fault boundary
is formed. No new crust is created or subducted, and no volcanoes form, but earthquakes occur along the fault.
How did plate tectonics theory explain the movements of the continents?
The theory of plate tectonics states that the
Earth’s solid outer crust, the lithosphere, is separated into plates that move over
the asthenosphere, the molten upper portion of the mantle. Oceanic and continental plates come together, spread apart, and interact at boundaries all over the planet.
What are the 5 evidences of continental drift?
The evidence for continental drift included
the fit of the continents; the distribution of ancient fossils, rocks, and mountain ranges; and the locations of ancient climatic zones
.
What are 4 types of boundaries?
Plate Boundaries:
Convergent, Divergent, Transform
.
What causes the tectonic plates to move?
The plates can be thought of like pieces of a cracked shell that rest on the hot, molten rock of Earth’s mantle and fit snugly against one another.
The heat from radioactive processes within the planet’s interior
causes the plates to move, sometimes toward and sometimes away from each other.
What are the 4 evidence of continental drift?
They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence:
fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils
.
What evidence did Alfred use?
He used
fossil evidence
, such as that of tropical plants found on the Arctic island of Spitzbergen. He found large-scale geographic features that matched, like the Appalachian Mountains in the United States and the Scottish Highlands, as well as rock strata in South Africa that matched those in Brazil.
Which direction are the plates moving?
The
Pacific Plate is moving to the northwest
at a speed of between 7 and 11 centimeters (cm) or ~3-4 inches a year. The North American plate is moving to the west-southwest at about 2.3 cm (~1 inch) per year driven by the spreading center that created the Atlantic Ocean, the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
In what direction do the two plates move?
The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move into one another; divergent, where plates move apart; and transform, where plates move
sideways in
relation to each other. They move at a rate of one to two inches (three to five centimeters) per year.
What direction do plates move?
The explanation is that plates move in a rotational manner. The North American Plate, for example, rotates
counter-clockwise
; the Eurasian Plate rotates clockwise. Boundaries between the plates are of three types: divergent (i.e., moving apart), convergent (i.e., moving together), and transform (moving side by side).
What are the 3 causes of plate movement?
Mantle dynamics, gravity, and Earth’s rotation taken
altogether causes the plate movements. However, convectional currents are the general thought for the motion.
What are 5 landforms caused by plate movement?
Deep ocean trenches, volcanoes, island arcs, submarine mountain ranges, and fault lines
are examples of features that can form along plate tectonic boundaries.
What are the 7 continental plates?
There are seven major plates:
African, Antarctic, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, North American, Pacific and South American
. The Hawaiian Islands were created by the Pacific Plate, which is the world’s largest plate at 39,768,522 square miles.
