Plate Tectonics

1. What evidence do scientists have that large plates of land are moving?
The only piece of evidence I can think of is that the Atlantic Ocean is becoming bigger and the Pacific
Ocean is shrinking.

My first answer was partially correct but other ways scientists new that that the plate tectonics are
moving is because scientists found that the continents fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle and the same
types of life were found on different places.

Evidence that plates of land are moving include volcanoes, mountains, earthquakes and satellite images.

2. What are some names of the major plates of land?

The Pacific Plate, North American plate, African Plate, Eurasian Plate, Indian Plate, Nazca Plate, Cocos
Plate, South American and in Washington there is the small Juan De Fuca Plate

I was correct.

3. What are some ways that tectonic plates can interact with each other?
One way they can interact with each other is when they pull apart, they create earthquakes and
tsunamis. Another way is when they smash into each other, one goes up and one goes down creating
mountain ranges like the Himalayas.

Another thing is that there are distinct types of boundaries like a subduction zone.

1. They can move apart from each other

2. They can collide

3. They can slide past each other

4. They can subduct (one plate underneath another)

4. How can landforms provide evidence for scientists to determine plate

boundaries?
When there are land and underwater mountain ranges, a scientist knows that two plates have smashed
into each other.

Also, in areas where earthquakes have happened, and volcanoes have formed scientists know there has
to be a plate boundary nearby.

5. How does the theory of plate tectonics relate to mountains and volcanoes?
When plate tectonics crash, they can both go up or one goes up and one goes down. If both go up it
forms a volcano and when one goes down and one goes up it forms a mountain range.

I was partially correct because the plate tectonic does not go up, the land on the plate goes up and as
both land crush into each other, they form mountains.

For example, the subduction zone under Washington causes our volcanoes and mountains.