Department of Education

Science 10
Quarter 1
Distribution of Active Volcanoes, Earthquake
Epicenters and Major Mountain Belts
Module 3

Abigail M. De Lios
Writer

Armida S. Oblinada
Ma. Regaele A. Olarte
Validators

Schools Division Office – Muntinlupa City

Student Center for Life Skills Bldg., Centennial Ave., Brgy. Tunasan, Muntinlupa City
(02) 8805-9935 / (02) 8805-9940
 This module was designed to help you master the topic about the distribution of
active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters and mountain belts. The activities
specifically designed for self-directed learning. The language was simplified for ease
of understanding. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the
course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with
the reference /textbook you are now using.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters, and
major mountain belts to Plate Tectonic Theory (S10ES – Ia-j-36.1)

Specifically, you will be able to:

1. plot the active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters and major mountain belts in
a world map
2. describe the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters and
major mountain belts
3. infer the relationship of tectonic plates, earthquake epicenters and active
volcanoes.
4. determine the scientific basis for dividing the lithospheric plates
5. relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters, and major
mountain belts to Plate Tectonic Theory

Present a schematic plan for the community on how to mitigate or reduce the
effects of disaster-related events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic
eruptions.

Directions: Encircle the letter of the best answer.

1. What is the primary mechanism involved in mountain formation in
continents?
A. Diastrophism C. Orogeny
B. Oncogeny D. Pylogeny

2. What term refers to the deformation of the Earth’s lithosphere that involve
faulting and folding of land mass?
A. Convergence C. Orogeny
B. Diastrophism D. Epicenter

3. What is the most common cause of tectonic earthquake?

A. Astatic strain C. Static strain
B. Elastic strain D. Magnetic strain

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 4. What is the area directly above the focus?
A. Epicenter C. Both A and B
B. Focus D. Neither A nor B

5. What is the process in where the rocks is squeezed or stretch when it is at

cooler temperature?
A. Faulting C. Earthquake
B. Folding D. Orogeny

6. What do you call a geographic area where active volcanoes are found?
A. Arc of fire C. Edges of the plates
B. Edges of the continents D. Ring of fire

7. What theory that states that the Earth’s lithosphere is cracked and is
separated by slabs of rocks known as plates ________.
A. Plate Tectonic theory C. Orogenesis
B. Sea floor spreading D. Orogeny

8. What is the Philippine agency that monitors the earthquake and volcanic
activities?
A. DENR B. DepEd C. NASA D. PHIVOLCS

9. The following are tectonic plates included in the Ring of Fire

EXCEPT_________.
A. Antarctic plate C. Nazca plate
B. Cocos plate D. Philippine plate
10. The process when the rocks is squeezed from side to side when the rock is
flexible and warm
A. Compression B. Faulting C. Folding D. Orogeny

Learner’s Signature: _______________ Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature: ___________

Teacher’s Comment:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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 Module Distribution of Active Volcanoes,

3 Earthquake Epicenter and

Mountain Belts
Tectonic plate activities were found to cause geological changes on the Earth’s
surface over a period of time. Understanding the how’s and the why’s on how it
happens will help you appreciate our own home, the Earth.

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to plot and describe the active
volcanoes, earthquake epicenters and major mountain belts in a world map, relate
the distribution and infer the relationship of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters,
and major mountain belts to Plate Tectonic Theory, and determine the scientific basis
for dividing the lithospheric plates

This lesson will begin by understanding how the distribution of active

volcanoes, earthquake epicenter and mountain belts are interconnected with plate
tectonics.

A. Word Link
Directions: Read the following words to understand how they are used in this
module.
Vocabulary Words Meaning
The process of shaping the Earth’s geological surface.
Diastrophism
This may include the processes of faulting and folding
This process resulted from the compressing or
Faulting
stretching of the lithosphere under cooler temperature
This process resulted from the side to side
Folding
It is a place in the Pacific where active volcanoes are
Ring of Fire
found
This refers to the mechanism that occurs behind the
Orogeny
geologic change in mountain formation

These are big slabs of lithospheric rocks

Tectonic plates
This is a unifying theory that states that the Earth’s
Plate Tectonic
lithosphere is broken and made up of big slabs of rocks
theory called tectonic plates

B. Directions: Identify whether the given examples refer to volcanoes, mountains,

earthquake or ALL.

1. ________________ An opening on the Earth’s crust where lava exits

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 2. ________________ The shaking of the Earth’s crust due to sudden release
of energy
3. ________________ It created more than 70% of the Earth’s surface and
continues to do so
4. ________________ Result from the movement of tectonic plates in different
directions
5. ________________ A high elevation on the Earth’s surface

Activity: Lets Mark and Connect

Materials Needed:
 Copy of the maps (Plate tectonic map, mountain belt maps, active volcano
maps, maps with Earthquake epicenter.
 Three different colored pens or markers

Procedure:
1. Study the following maps:
A. Active Volcano

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EQs_1900-2013_worldseis.png

Guide Questions:

1. What have you noticed with the location of the active volcanoes?
__________________________________________________________________________
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2. What can you infer about this?

__________________________________________________________________________
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 B. Earthquake Epicenters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_earthquakes#/media/File:Map_of_earthquakes_1900-.svg

Guide Questions:
1. What have you noticed with the location of the earthquake epicenters?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

2. What can you infer about this?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

C. Mountain Belts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orogeny#/media/File:World_geologic_provinces.jpg
(Note: The part colored as GREEN represents the presence of mountains and/or mountain
ranges)

Guide Questions:
1. What have you noticed with the location of the mountains and/or mountain
ranges?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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 2. What can you infer about this?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
D. Using the different colored pens, plot the location where the active volcanoes,
earthquake epicenters and mountain range in the plate tectonic map. (Use the
separate Plate Tectonic Map provided at the end of the module.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg

Guide Questions:
1. What can you say about the location of the active volcanoes, earthquake
epicenters a mountain ranges in respect to the plates?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. Specifically, where are they located in the plate tectonic maps?

______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________

3. Scientists have stated that the lithosphere is cracked into slabs of rocks. Do
you think, they have scientific basis for saying so?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

4. Write down the scientific bases used by the scientist in dividing the lithosphere
into plates based on your activity?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Learner’s Signature: _______________ Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature: ___________

Teacher’s Comment:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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The Active Volcanoes
The surface of the Earth changes over a period of time. The most important
sculptor of these changes is brought about by the eruption of active volcanoes,
which are opening or vent on the earth’s surface where lava exits. A volcano is
thought to be active when it has recently erupted and will soon erupt again. In the
Philippines, the most popular active volcanoes are the Mayon volcano and the Taal
volcano which has recently erupted in 2020.
Around the world, distribution of active volcanoes is mostly found in a region
at the Pacific that forms an arc, known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is the area
where the most active volcanoes and strongest earthquakes were found. It is located
along the boundaries between several lithospheric plates—including the Cocos, Juan
de Fuca, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, Pacific, and Philippine Plates. In
these plates, active convergence occurs causing subduction and melting of the part
of the crust, thereby allowing the magma to come out. Most of these are found along
the edges of the boundaries where the plates interact.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pacific_Ring_of_Fire.png
Fig. 1 The Pacific Ring of Fire

This fact however, exempts the Hawaii Islands. The islands are formed within the
Pacific plate. The formation of volcanoes in this location is formed because of the
presence of a hot spot. Hotspots are volcanic regions that are formed because of the
presence of active mantle activities where magma oozes out. This area is known as
the mantle plume.

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 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Hawaii_hotspot_cross-sectional_diagram.jpg
Fig. 2 Hotspots with Mantle Plume

In areas where there are active volcanoes, geographical changes like formation
of trenches and underwater volcanoes occur. It also causes earthquake where these
activities are present.

The Mountain Belt

One effect of the tectonic activities is the formation of mountain and mountain
ranges which usually involved folding and faulting in a process called diastrophism.
Folding happened when the plate is squeezed from side to side when the rocks and
warm and flexible while faulting occurs in the same manner but with rocks that are
cold and rigid, causing it to break.
When mountains are built on continents like the Himalayan mountain range,
its primary mechanism is orogeny. Through the convergence of some of the plates
towards each other, formation of mountains along the edges of the plates is also
possible. Example of this is the Himalayan mountain range, Andres Mountains and
the Philippine’s Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sierra_Madre_Occidental.jpg
Fig. 3 Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges (Philippines)

The Earthquake
The earthquake epicenter as discussed in Module 2 is an important marker
for the presence of different tectonic plates. As an analysis on the result of your
previous activity, it is shown that most of the earthquake epicenters are found along
the areas where there are:
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 1. Active volcanic activities
2. Mountain formation
3. Active plate movements
4. Earthquake epicenters

These markers served as the scientific bases for dividing the lithosphere into
plates.

Plate Tectonic Theory

The Plate Tectonic theory states that the Earth’s lithosphere is divided into
plates. Many years ago, scientists have been fascinated with how the Earth’s outer
shell, the lithosphere, look like. Using the information coming from the maps that
showed the location of the active volcanoes, the mountain ranges and the earthquake
epicenters, they have come up with concrete scientific bases on how the plates are
actually divided. Further, when they started to map the ocean floor, an astonishing
fact that supported all those previously mentioned scientific bases has finally
validated it all. It was the pronouncement of the Tharp-Heezen map. This map was
first introduced by a female oceanographer in the 1940’s, Marie Tharp. It showed
underwater mountain ranges, valleys and faults. Although many would like to
disproved the findings, it was Bruce Heezen who observed that seismic activities were
present in areas observed by Tharp. Finally, they developed the map that changed
everything on how the scientific community viewed the ocean. This further
strengthens the Plate Tectonic Theory.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:(Manuscript_painting_of_Heezen-
Tharp_World_ocean_floor_map_by_Berann).jpg
Fig. 4 The Original Painting of the Tharp-Heezen map

Your turn!
Directions: Write a short paragraph with at least three to five sentences about the
pictures below. Please be guided by the following questions.

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 Guide Questions:

1. What is the picture about?

2. What do you feel about the picture?
3. What does it do to the Earth’s surface?
4. How does it change the Earth?
5. What is the effect to both living and non-living things on the Earth’s surface?

a. Taal Volcano (remember the January 2020)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/therealbrute/4639392140

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b. Mt. Apo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93788068@N02/10094509765

__________________________________________________________________________________
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 c. North Bohol Fault

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:North_Bohol_fault.jpg

__________________________________________________________________________________
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Directions: Write five sentences summarizing what you have learned from this
module.
After studying the module, I have learned that
__________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________
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Directions: Write a short essay about the importance of the discovery of the scientific
bases for plate tectonic theory. How this will be important in your life as a student?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
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Let’s Practice Further!
Performance Task:
Directions: Prepare a schematic plan for the community on how to mitigate or
reduce the effects of disaster-related events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and
volcanic eruptions. Submit your work in a separate sheet of paper.
Scoring Rubric:

Criteria 5 3 1 Total

Completeness Showed schematic Showed Showed schematic

plan for mitigation schematic plan plan for mitigation
of at least 3 for mitigation of of at least 1 natural
natural disaster at least 2 natural disaster
disaster

Usefulness Enumerate at Enumerate at Enumerate at least

least 3 mitigation least 2 mitigation 1 mitigation plan
plans for a plans for a for a disaster
disaster disaster

Organization The plan was well The plan was not

organized well organized

Creativity Showed Showed plain

creativity and presentation
design

Learner’s Signature: _______________ Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature: ___________

Teacher’s Comment:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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Directions: Encircle the letter of the best answer.

1. Which of the following area in the plate where active regions of mantle is
present there by producing a volcanic region?
A. Hotspots C. Mantle plume
B. Magma D. Volcanic island arc

2. What is the primary mechanism involved in mountain formation in

continents?
A. Diastrophism B. Oncogeny C. Orogeny D. Pylogeny

3. Which map that shows how the seafloor looks like?

A. Heezen Map C. Tharp Map
B. Seafloor Map D. Tharp-Heezen Map

4. What is the process in which the rocks is squeezed or stretch when it is at

cooler temperature
A. Faulting B. Folding C. Earthquake D. Orogeny

5. What is the process when the rocks is squeezed from side to side when the
rock is flexible and warm
A. Compression B. Faulting C. Folding D. Orogeny

6. What theory that states that the Earth’s lithosphere is cracked and is
separated by slabs of rocks known as plates
A. Plate Tectonic theory C. Orogenesis
B. Sea floor spreading D. Folding

7. What is the Philippine agency that monitors the earthquake and volcanic
activities?
A. DENR B. DepED C. NASA D. PHIVOLCS

8. Which of the following geographic area where active volcanoes are found
A. Arc of fire
B. Edges of the continents
C. Edges of the plates
D. Ring of fire
9. The following are tectonic plates included in the Ring of Fire EXCEPT _____.
A. Antarctic plate
B. Cocos plate
C. Nazca plate
D. Philippine plate

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 10. Refers to the deformation of the Earth’s lithosphere that involve faulting
and folding
A. Convergence
B. Diastrophism
C. Orogeny
D. Epicenter

For 11-15. Enumerate the Scientific Bases for Plate Tectonic Theory

Learner’s Signature: _______________ Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature: ___________

Teacher’s Comment:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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