ENHANCED SCIENCE – MODULE 1: PLATE TECTONICS

DEEPEST
DETERMINING THE LAYERS OF THE MESOSPHERE SUBLAYER of
EARTH mantle
Mostly solid rock
1. BY COMPOSITION OUTER CORE Scientists debate if
a. Scientists analyze the (liquid FeNi) there is plasticity
composition of the Earth at LIQUID IRON AND
different depths and classify NICKEL
the layers accordingly. HOTTEST LAYER
2. BY MECHANICAL STATE (PHASE) Pressure freezing –
a. We look at the physical state INNER CORE solidifies becoz of
of the materials of the Earth pressure
at different depths to come up Solidified FeNi
with different classification of
layers
COMPOSITIONAL (CHEMICAL) LAYERS
OF THE EARTH

TOPMOST LAYER
Base is composed mostly of
silicate rocks:
Landmasses = (soil then)
INCREASING SILICATES

granite on top of basalt

INCREASING IRON

Ocean floors = (siltation then)

CRUST
basalt only
Top of base is composed of
weathered pieces from rocks,
trapped air, water and
biotic/organic matter such
as soil Physical properties movements/phases
DENSER THAN CRUST
80% of Earth’s volume; 68% - Basis for mechanical layers
MANTLE of mass
Rock silicates &
iron/magnesium silicates
MOST DENSE LAYER
CORE FeNi: Iron & nickel
20% volume, 37% mass

MECHANICAL (PHYSICAL) LAYERS OF

THE EARTH

CRUST+
UPPERMOST
RIGID LAYER of
LITHOSPHERE mantle
(rigid part) Move together as
one unit and “float” As we go deeper into the earth,
on top of plastic INCREASE DECREASE
asthenosphere Temperature
MIDDLE Amount of FeNi content Density
SUBLAYER of Silicates
ASTHENOSPHERE mantle
(mostly solid but fluid-like)
(weak plastic layer) Partially melted
materials (have
plasticity)

Tejano, Jezelle B. 1
 ENHANCED SCIENCE – MODULE 1: PLATE TECTONICS
MANTLE HAS 3 SUBLAYERS = UAM (uppermost, astheno, meso)

THE UPPERMOST RIGID PART OF THE Scientists confirm the location of

MANTLE IS ATTACHED TO THE CRUST Tectonic Plates by using the Global
(lithosphere) Positioning System (GPS) that are
able to track small movements of the
Although the mantle including its
plates from space.
sublayers are different in composition from
the crust, mechanically speaking.
LITHOS less dense than
ASTHENOS since it is topmost mech
layer
Lithos as “solid” floats on top of
asthenos
Movement in asthenos pushes
lithos to move
THEORY OF PLATE TECTONICS
Lithosphere is not one whole structure
TECTONIC PLATES – lithosphere layer
fragmented into segments
Eurasian Plate – Philippine Sea Plate boundary
TECTONIC PLATES OF EARTH
(NSNSCCJPAEAIPAA)
North American Plate Philippine Sea
Plate
Eurasian Plate Arabian Plate
Pacific Plate Nazca Plate
African Plate Scotia Plate
South American Plate Indian Plate
Australian Plate Cocos Plate
Antarctic Plate Caribbean Plate
Juan de Fuca Plate

MOUNTAINS, VOLCANOES AND

EARTHQUAKES seem to create
boundaries of segments in the
lithosphere/tracing edges of tectonic
plates

Tejano, Jezelle B. 2
 ENHANCED SCIENCE – MODULE 2: TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES
2 TYPES OF CRUSTAL MATERIALS IN TECTONIC PLATES
CONTINENTAL CRUST OCEANIC CRUST
Thicker than oceanic crust Thinner
More silica (more dense) = floats up More iron (less dense) = sinks
Warmer (and expands) = floats up Cooled (and condenses) = sinks

In divergent crusts, asthenospheric material 3 TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES

comes out from crack. 1. CONVERGENT
o Forces moving towards each
It then solidifies and forms a new crust.
other where the plates will
(Mantle materials solidified)
collide
Difference of oceanic vs continental crust a. CONTINENTAL & CONTINENTAL
Crumpling effect
when it comes to spewing magma: TIME
Crustal material cannot go
TO COOL DOWN! anywhere
OCEANIC CONTINENTAL b. OCEANIC & CONTINENTAL
Magma cools down Cools down slowly Oceanic subducts (goes
under) continental
fast (again, time!)
c. OCEANIC & OCEANIC
Doesn’t interact Abundant access to
Old oceanic crust
with oxygen oxygen, which
subducts under young
(almost no oxygen in creates chemical
oceanic crust
water) reactions, forming
2. DIVERGENT
more silicates
Reason why it’s only o Forces are pulling apart
basaltic rock!!! Silicates = where the plates will move
compounds of away from each other
silicon oxides a. CONTINENTAL & CONTINENTAL
ACTIVE VOLCANO More time to Produces a gap
Gap forms into a (young)
makes oceanic crust transform crystalline
oceanic crust
turn to continental forms into other
b. OCEANIC & OCEANIC
crust compositions
Ocean widens
3. TRANSFORM
All plates are both continental and oceanic o Forces move past each other
crust. It just depends on the part of the plate or at different rate the plates
that has the oceanic or continental crust will slide or grind past each
(boundary). other

Tejano, Jezelle B. 3