LAORATORIO 4: PLACAS TECTONICAS

CARLOSAMA ANA, ESTRADA ANGELA, HERNANDEZ ANGELA, NARVAEZ ANA

Plate Tectonics Simulation

Go to https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/plate-tectonics

Run the Plate Tectonics simulation. Click keepafter the file is downloaded. Open the file. If you are
prompted to update Java, click the “Later” option and run the application.
Part I:

1. Begin with the “Crust” tab. Under “View,” check “Both” and “Show Labels.” Use the tools in the
lower left corner to compare the thickness, density, and temperature of the oceanic and continental
crust samples. Complete the table below.

Crust type Thickness Density Temperature

Oceanic 7 2667.565 25°C
Continental 45 2500.396 26°C

2. Which property do you think causes continental crust to have a higher elevation (on average)
than oceanic crust? Explain.

Answer:
La propiedad que hace que la corteza continental se eleve más que la oceánica es la densidad, ya que entre
más denso se hunde.

Make your own Crust! Experiment with making your own crust using the sliders in the center of the
screen. Note that the middle crust sample will turn blue or green depending on whether it is considered
oceanic or continental crust.
3. What happens to the crust as you increase thickness?

Answer:
Al aumentar el grosor de nuestra corteza, esta se convierte en una corteza continental. Al hacer esto, la
densidad será constante y la temperatura varia.

4. Using this observation complete the following statement by writing in Continental or Oceanic:
Continental crust is thicker than Oceanic crust.

5. See what happens when you change the composition of the crust.

a. Does oceanic crust have more iron or more silica?

Answer:

La corteza oceánica tiene mas hierro.

b. Does continental crust have more iron or more silica?

Answer:

La corteza continental tiene mas silicio.

 6. Set the thickness and composition of your crust somewhere in the middle. Write down
what type of crust you have: con un grosor de 30 cm y una composicion de mas hierro se tiene
una corteza oceanica

7. See what happens when you change the temperature of the crust.
a. What happens to very cool crust?

Answer:
Al enfriar la temperatura de la corteza en el simulador, la densidad aumenta y la temperatura baja

b. What happens to very warm crust?

Answer:
Al calentar la temperatura de la corteza en el simulador, la densidad disminuye y la temperatura aumenta
Continue to use the “My Crust” window to manipulate the thickness, composition, and temperature of
the crust to fill in the following table

Summary Table: What happens to the crust as you increase the thickness? As you add more iron or
more silica? As you change the temperature? You can use your answers from questions # 3-7 in addition
to these questions to complete the table below. Write your observations in the result columns.
Crustal property Result
Thickness Thick: se convierte en una Thin:se convierte en una
corteza continental corteza oceánica

Composition More iron: la densidad More silica: la densidad

aumenta, la temperatura disminuye, la temperatura
disminuye y se convierte aumenta y se convierte en
en una corteza oceánica una corteza continental.

temperature Warm: la densidad Cool: la densidad aumenta

disminuye

Go to: http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/eoc/teachers/t_tectonics/p_seafloorspreading.html
Watch the animation of seafloor spreading and read the key features before proceeding to the next
question.

8. Based on what you know about sea-floor spreading, answer the following questions.
 Answer the questions below by using the diagram above:

a. Which point is closer to the Midocean Ridge? ____A_____

b. Which point is older? ______B_______

c. Which point is at a higher elevation? _______A_________

d. What type of rock would we expect to find at points A and B? _____________________

e. Where could we find a real-world example of the diagram above?

Dorsal Antártica, Americana, Pacifico oriental, Dorsal, Indica Occidental, Dorsal Meso atlántica__

Part II:
Use the “Plate Motion” tab in the PhET simulation. Under View, check “Both” and “Show Labels,”.
Experiment with different types of crust at the plate boundary. Click “Show Sea Water” after you have
placed the crust.
Important vocabulary terms:

Convergent Plate A boundary at which two plates move toward each other ⇨⇦
Boundary
Divergent Plate A boundary at which two plates move away from each other ⇦⇨
Boundary
Transform Plate A boundary at which two plates move parallel to each other in
Boundary opposite directions ⇧⇩
Subduction One plate moves under another. (right plate is
subducting under the left plate)

9. Reset the simulation and set it up with a continental and an oceanic (young or old) crust.

a. Drag the plate in the direction of the green arrow. What type of boundary is this?
Answer: Limite convergente

b. Sketch a time series of this process with at least three diagrams. Label the two types of crust
and show the direction of motion.
 c. Which plate subducts beneath the other? Why do you think this is (hint: think of the
properties you explored in part I)?

Answer:

 La corteza continental tiene mas densidad que la corteza oceánica

 La corteza oceánica tiene mas hierro por lo tano esto hace que haga un subducción en la
corteza continental

d. What feature is created on the continental crust parallel to the plate boundary?

Answer:

 Formación de arcos volcánicos

 Deformación geológica en el limite

10. Reset the simulation and set it up with two old oceanic crusts.

a. What type of boundary does the red arrow display?

Answer: limite divergente

b. What type of boundary does the blue arrow display?

Answer: Limite transformante

c. Drag the plate in the direction of the red arrow. Sketch a time series of this process with
at least three diagrams. Label the two types of crust and show the direction of motion.
 d. What feature is created at the plate boundary?
Answer:
La creación de la nueva corteza oceánica se llama centro de expansión, la separación de las placas se llama
bahías rift. Creación y formación de cordilleras o dorsales oceánicas y también creación de volcanes
oceánicos

11. Reset the simulation and set it up with two continental crusts.

a. What type of boundary does the red arrow display?

Answer: Divergente
b. What type of boundary does the green arrow display?

Answer: Transformante
c. What type of boundary does the blue arrow display?

Answer: Convergente
d. Drag the plate in the direction of the red arrow. Sketch a time series of this process with at
least three diagrams. Label the two types of crust and show the direction of motion.

e. What feature is created at the plate boundary?

Answer:
comienza a generar agua a medida que se va separando la corteza continentak, después de un tiempo
determinado ( 9 años ) se crea una corteza oceánica joven
f. Why does neither plate subduct?
Answer:
por que las dos cortezas tiene la misma densidad

12. Experiment and find two additional scenarios not yet described in this activity. Complete the table
below. You can draw pictures or use words to fill in the boxes below.

Types of crust Type of boundary What happens/ new features

Una corteza oceánica joven con convergente La corteza oceánica vieja se
una corteza oceánica vieja subduce debajo de la nueva
Cortezas oceánicas jóvenes divergente Forma una nueva corteza
oceánica joven

13. New crust is created at a divergent boundary.

a. Where does this new crust come from?

Answer: al dividirse las dos cortezas continentales, estas se separan y se crea una corteza oceánica joven
b. What happens to the old crust?

Answer: las cortezas se separan en direcciones diferentes