The Tectonic Cycle

• The tectonic cycle involves the creation and destruction of

Earth’s solid outer layer, the lithosphere
• The lithosphere is about 100 km and is broken into several
large segments called plates, which are moving relative to
one another
• The slow movement of these large segment of Earth’s outer
most rock shell is referred to as plate tectonic
• The plates “float” on denser material and move at rates of 2
to 15 cm/yr
 The Tectonic Plates

Three types of plate boundaries occur: divergent, convergent and

transform fault
• A divergent plate boundary occurs at a spreading ocean ridge,
where plates are moving away from one another and new
lithosphere is produced. This process known as sea floor
spreading, produces ocean basins.
• A convergent plate boundary occurs when plates collide when
two plates that are both composed of lighter continental rocks
collide, a continental mountain range may form, such as the
Himalayas in Asia
• A transform fault boundary occurs where one plate slides past
another. An example is the San Andreas fault in California, which is
the boundary between the North American and Pacific plates.
The Tectonic Plates
Effects of plates tectonic on environment

• Moving plates change the location and size of content,

altering atmospheric and ocean circulation and thereby
altering climate
• Plate movement has also created ecological islands by
breaking up continental areas. When this happens, closely
related life-forms are isolated from one another for million of
years, leading to the evolution of new species
• Finally boundaries between plates are geologically active
areas, and most volcanic activity and earthquakes occur
there.