LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

QUARTER II/ SEMESTER I

Name:_______________________________________________Score:_______

Grade & Section _________________________Subject: EARTH SCIENCE

Name of Teacher: Date: _____________

I.Title: Deformation, Seafloor Spreading, Continental Drift Theory, Plate

Tectonics
II. Type of Activity: Concept notes with formative activities

LAS for summative assessment ( Written Work Performance

Task)

III. MELCs: Describe how rocks behave under different types of stress such
as compression, pulling apart, and shearing (S11ES-IId-27)
explain how seafloor spreads (S11ES-IIf-32)
Describe the structure and evolution of ocean basins (S11ES-
IIf-33)
Explain how the movement of plates leads to the formation of
folds, faults, trenches, volcanoes, rift valleys, and mountain
ranges (S11ES-IIg-h-34)

IV. Learning Objective/s: understand how rocks are deformed by stress and
undergo solid deformation (strained);
explain how tension, compression, and shear stresses
produce geological structures.
identify major physiographic features of ocean basins;
demonstrate understanding of the theory of plate
tectonics and how plate
tectonic processes lead to changes in Earth’s surface
features.
V. Reference/s
For Print Material/s:

Olivar III, J. T. Rodolfo, R. S. & Cabria, H. Exploring Life Through Science Series-
Earth Science, pp. 169-200
Religioso, T. F.& Vengco, L. G., Discovering Earth and Solar System, pp. 124-128
Thompson, G. R. & Turk, J., Introduction to Earth Science, pp. 245-248, 215-221

Concept notes with formative activities

Stress- Force applied to a rock per unit area.

Uniform stress when all forces from all directions are equal, this is also known as
Pressure

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When surrounding apply pressure, that is called confining stress
When the force is not equal from all directions, it is called as differential stress

Types of Differential Stress

Compressional- Force is directed towards each other. Forces are at the same axis.
Elongation is perpendicular to the direction of the stress. Shortening is parallel to the
direction of the stress. (convergent)
Tension- Force is directed away from each other. Elongation is parallel to the
direction of the stress and shortening is perpendicular to the stress direction.
(divergent)
Shear- Two dominant forces are directed towards each other but not at the same
axis. (transform bounderies)

Strain is the resulting change due to different types of stress. It could result to
contraction or stretching that could change in shape, size or volume of rocks
subjected to stress.
Shear strain - the change in shape involves movement in one part of an object to its
other parts.
Elastic strain-temporarily change shape when subjected to stress but can change
back to its original form.

There are successive stages of deformation when a rock is subjected to

increasing stress.
Elastic Deformation:
Reversible strain. Goes
back to its original form
if the strain is removed.
Ductile Deformation:
Permanent
deformation once it
reaches its elastic limit.
Fracture: Deformation
is permanent,
breakage

Classification of
Rocks according to
Behavior under
stress

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Brittle Materials: Have small regions of ductile behavior before fracture but have a
small/large region of elastic behavior.
Ductile Materials: Have large region of ductile behavior but only a small region of
elastic behavior.

*Low Temperature, Low Confining Pressure, High Strain favors brittle materials
while High Temperature, High Confining Pressure, Low strain favors ductile
materials. High amount of water also tends to influence ductile deformation. Dry
rocks often behave in brittle manner. Rocks found in the upper part of the crust
behave in a brittle manner due to low pressure and temperature. At 15 km below the
surface, the rocks deformed in a ductile manner due to increasing temperature and
pressure. This is called the brittle-ductile
transition. Earthquakes only occur only above
this zone.

Since faults are planar-Strike is the compass

direction (reckoned from the North) of the line
formed on the line formed by intersection of an
inclined plane and the horizontal plane. Dip is
the angle between the inclined plane and the
horizontal plane. Dip is perpendicular to the
strike.

Fault- planar structures resulting from brittle

deformation, but there is sliding between
rocks.
Dip-slip involves Normal, Reverse and
Thrust.

Normal Fault- Hanging wall moves up with

respect to the footwall. (Tension acts)
Reverse Fault- Footwall moves-up relative
to the hanging wall (Compression acts)
Thrust Fall- A type of reverse fault with less than 35°
inclinations (Compression acts)
Transform fault- Two plates past-slip each other influenced by shear stress. Usually
horizontal in movement.
 Left and Right lateral- when a block moves relative to the other, one is more
forward.
 Oblique-diagonal movement of blocks
Folds are produced from deformation from ductile materials. Folds are contortions of
rock layers forming wave-like curves.

Parts of folds

The hinge line or fold axis- part of the fold with greatest curvature
Limbs- sides of folds with least curvature
Axial Plane- Imaginary slice containing the hinge to the fold axis following the bend.

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The folds can be described based on the
orientations of these parts.

Types:
Monocline-One limb is greater has greater curvature, one is a flat-lying rock
Syncline- fold axis is towards the hinge
Anticline- fold axis is away from the hinge
Overturned- Axial plane is inclined, one limb is steeper than the other. Usually forms
to fold axes

Folds that are more complex develop depending on the degree of compressional
stress applied during deformation.

During ductile deformation, the original shape and arrangement of particles in a rock
also changes. For example, quartz grains may transform into elongated ribbons or
cigar shape. Other minerals may recrystallize and reorient themselves. This
alignment of deformed and/or reoriented grains is called tectonic foliation, which
often occur during metamorphism.

Faults, folds, and tectonic foliation are formed in response to the different types of
stress. Compressional stress forms reverse faults, folds and foliated (flattened)
mineral grains. It also results to thickening of crusts. Tensional stress results in the
formation of normal faults and lineation (stretched mineral grains) as well as thinning
of crusts. Shear stress develops trike-strip faults.

Mountain Building

The process by which the Earth’s surface moves from a lower elevation to a higher
elevation is called uplift. Mountain belts are formed as a result of uplift and
deformation of rocks in the Earth’s lithosphere. Density mantle rocks in the
asthenosphere. Continental collision results into a mountain belts with thick
continental crust. Mountain building shortens the crust horizontally and thickens it
vertically. This thickened crust is called crustal root. It gives that portion of
continental lithosphere enough
buoyancy to support the weight of
the mountain range and allows it to
float higher like iceberg floating in
the sea. A continental crust is
typically 35-40 km thick but beneath
the mountain belts it can reach 50-
70 km thickness. When very old
mountain belts are eroded, the continental lithosphere including the crustal root
slowly rises to compensate for the removal of the mass. This adjustment to maintain
buoyancy is called isostasy.

Mountains also formed when deformation is

principally due to tensional stresses. This

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creates crustal thing and develops rift valley where the dominant structures are
normal faults. Examples are Africa Rift Valley, Basin and Range Province, western
part of United States.

In these areas, parallel normal faults inclined in opposite directions form horst and
grabem structures. Horsts are elevated landforms, comprising the mountains,
bounded by normal faults that are inclined in opposite direction. Grabens are valley
filled with sediments and bounded by normal faults inclined toward each other.

Continental Drift Hypothesis

- The idea that continents fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle has been around
since the 1600s, although little significance was given to it.
- The continental drift hypothesis was first
articulated by Alfred Wegener, a German
meteorologist, in 1912. He proposed that a
single supercontinent, Pangaea, separated
into the current continents and moved
across Earth’s surface to their present
locations. He published his work through a
book entitled ‘The Origin of Continents and
Oceans’ in 1915.
- Until the 1950s-60s, it was still widely held
that that continents and ocean basins had
fixed geographic positions. As such,
scientists were reluctant to believe that
continents could drift.
- In the 1960s, the post-war boom in
oceanography generated a lot of new data
about the ocean floor. It turned out that the ocean floor was not as flat and
featureless as they had originally thought. The ocean floor was characterized by
deep depressions called trenches and a network of ridges that encircled the globe.
These topographic data, together with heat flow measurements, led to the
emergence of the Seafloor Spreading Hypothesis which revived interest in Alfred
Wegener’s idea of drifting continents.
Evidence Supporting Continental Drift.
• The fit of the continents
- Opponents of Wegener’s idea disputed his continental fit evidence, arguing that the
fit of the continents’ margins was crude, and that shorelines were continuously being
modified by wave erosion and depositional processes.
- The oceanographic data later on revealed that a much better approach was to fit
the continents together along the continental slope, where erosion would be minimal.
In 1965, Sir Edward Bullard, an English geophysicist, and two of his associates

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demonstrated that the best fit between the continents occurs at a depth of
approximately 2000 m.
- Even with this method, a perfect fit could not be achieved. The process of
stretching and thinning of the continental margins
and sedimentary processes (e.g. erosion, delta
formation, etc.) could explain some of the
overlaps.
• Similarity in geological units and structure
- Wegener discovered that rocks on both sides of
the Atlantic Ocean were identical in terms of type
and age. He also matched up mountain ranges
with the same rock types, structures, and ages,
that were now on opposite sides of the Atlantic
Ocean. The Appalachians of the eastern United
States and Canada, for example, were just like
mountain ranges in eastern Greenland, Ireland, Great Britain, and Norway. Wegener
concluded that they formed a single mountain range that became separated as the
continents drifted.
• Fossil match
- Similar fossils of extinct plants and
animals in rocks of the same age
were found on different continents,
which are now separated by large
bodies of water. Wegener
recognized that organisms were
adapted to a specific type of
environment and their dispersal
could be limited by biogeographic
boundaries (e.g. oceans, mountain
ranges, etc.) Wegener argued that
these organisms could not have
physically crossed the oceans;
rather, the continents were in fact part of a large contiguous landmass which later on
broke apart and drifted.

✦ Glossopteris flora – ‘seed fern’ that grew only in a subpolar region, fossils of which
were widely distributed over Australia, Africa, India, and South America (later on
discovered in Antarctica). Seeds were too large to be blown away by wind to
different continents.

✦ Mesosaurus - a freshwater reptile whose fossils were found only in black shales
about 260 million years of age (Permian) in South Africa and Brazil. This land-based
reptile could not have crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

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✦ Lystrosaurus and Cynognathus - land reptiles whose fossils were found across
South America, Africa, India, and Antarctica. With their inability to swim and the
continents’ differing climates, the organisms must have lived side by side and that
the lands drifted apart after they became extinct and fossilized.
• Glacial and paleoclimate evidence
- A glacier is a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed from the accumulation and
compaction of snow on high mountains or in polar areas. As it flows, it carries
sediments of different shapes and sizes, which are then deposited and slowly
compacted into a soft sedimentary rock called till (glacial till). It also creates grooves
or scratches called striations in the underlying bedrock.
- Wegener analyzed glacial tills and striations (or scratches imprinted as glaciers
moved along the surface of rocks) of ancient times and found out that glaciers of the
same period (late Paleozoic age, around 300 million years ago) are located in
Australia, South America, Africa, India, and Antarctica. Except for Antarctica, these
countries did not have subpolar climate that allowed glaciation. Putting the
continents together in accordance to Wegener’s Pangaea shows that the glaciation
only occurred in a small region in Gondwana (around the South Pole) which then
moved outward to the aforementioned continents.
- The photo illustrates the direction of the glacial striations in rocks from South
America, Africa, India, and Australia. At first glance, they would hardly make sense
until we rearrange the continents to
form Wegener’s Gondwana.
- Reconstructing the location of ancient
glaciers led Wegener to discover that
the location of the current poles was
not the same as the ancient ones. His
studies showed that South Africa was
originally at the South Pole (300 million
years ago), which explains the flow
direction of the ancient glaciers. Fitting
the continents together places the
northern half of Pangaea closer to the
tropics and was proven correct by
fossil and climatological evidences.
• Paleomagnetism and polar wandering
- This group of evidence emerged relatively much later (1950s) with the development
of new technology and the boom in oceanographic studies.
- Paleomagnetism - As magma cools
down it starts forming minerals. Some
minerals are strongly magnetic (e.g.
magnetite). Below a certain threshold
temperature, some of these minerals

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attain magnetic properties. The magnetic minerals start to align with the surrounding
magnetic field. The alignment of these minerals becomes fixed once the lava or
magma solidifies. Rocks therefore can potentially preserve or record magnetic
polarity (normal vs. reverse), direction or location of magnetic poles, and the strength
of the magnetic field.
- Magnetism of geologically recent rocks is generally consistent with the Earth’s
current magnetic field. When the location of the Earth’s magnetic poles are plotted
based on the paleomagnetism of rocks of different ages, their positions appear to be
“wandering” through time if we assume a fixed position of the continents. In reality,
the magnetic poles have a relatively fixed position, and it is actually the continents
which are moving.

THE OCEAN

Various methods of measuring ocean depths

A. Sounding line – weighted rope lowered overboard until it touched the ocean
bottom; this old method is time-consuming and inaccurate
B. Echo sounding– type of sonar which measures depth by emitting a burst of high
frequency sound and listening for the echo from the seafloor. Sound is emitted from
a source on the ship and the returning echo is detected by a receiver on the ship.
Deeper water means longer time for the echo to return to the receiver.
C. Satellite altimetry – profiles the shape of the sea surface by measuring the travel
time of a radar pulse from the satellite to the ocean surface and back to the satellite
receiver. The shape of the sea surface approximates the shape of the sea floor.

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Different Features of the Ocean Floor
A. Continental margin – submerged outer edge of the continent where continental
crust transitions into oceanic crust
• Passive or Atlantic type – features a wide, gently sloping continental shelf (50-
200m depth), a steeper continental slope (3000-4000m depth), and a flatter
continental rise.

• Active or Pacific type – characterized by a narrow shelf and slope that descends
into a trench or trough
B. Abyssal plains and abyssal hills – abyssal plain is an extremely flat, sediment
covered stretches of the ocean floor, interrupted by occasional volcanoes, mostly
extinct, called seamounts. Abyssal hills are elongate hills, typically 50-300m high and
common on the slopes of mid oceanic ridge (Note: figure above is not a very good
representation of abyssal hill). These hills have their origins as faulted and tilted
blocks of oceanic crust.
C. Mid-ocean ridges – a submarine mountain chain that winds for more than 65,000
km around the globe. It has a central rift valley and rugged topography on its flanks.
Mid-ocean ridges are cut and offset at many places by transform faults. The trace of
a transform fault may extend away from either side of the ridge as a fracture zone
which is older and seismically inactive.
D. Deep-ocean trenches- narrow, elongated depressions on the seafloor many of
which are adjacent to arcs of island with active volcanoes; deepest features of the
seafloor.
E. Seamounts and volcanic islands – submerged volcanoes are called seamounts
while those that rise above the ocean surface are called volcanic islands. These
features may be isolated or found in clusters or chains.

Seafloor Spreading

Different observations/evidences that led to the proposal of Harold Henry Hess

A. Distribution of seafloor topographic features – distribution of mid-ocean ridges and

depth of the seafloor
B. Sediment thickness – fine layer of sediment covering much of the seafloor
becomes progressively thicker away from mid-ocean ridge axis; seafloor sediment
not as thick as previously thought
C. Composition of oceanic crust – consists primarily of basalt
D. High heat flow along mid-ocean ridge axes – led scientists to speculate that
magma is rising into the crust just below the mid-ocean ridge axis
E. Distribution of submarine earthquakes – earthquakes do not occur randomly but
define distinct belts (earthquake belts follow trenches, mid-oceanic ridges, transform
faults)

Seafloor spreading hypothesis.

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A. Seafloor spreading hypothesis
- In 1960, Harry Hess advanced the theory of seafloor spreading. Hess proposed
that seafloor separates at mid-ocean ridges where new crust forms by upwelling
magma. Newly formed
oceanic crust moves
laterally away from the
ridge with the motion
like that of a conveyor
belt. Old oceanic crusts
are dragged down at
the trenches and re-
incorporated back into
the mantle. In simpler
terms, he found out that
magma oozed up from
Earth’s interior along
mid-oceanic ridges,
until it sank into the
deep oceanic trenches in the process called subduction.

- The process is driven by mantle convection currents rising at the ridges and
descending at the trenches. This idea is basically the same as that proposed by
Arthur Holmes in 1920.
B. Proof for seafloor spreading
- Magnetic stripes on the seafloor: detailed mapping of magnetism recorded in rocks
of the seafloor shows that these rocks recorded reversals in direction and strength of
the Earth’s magnetic field. Alternating high and low magnetic anomalies run parallel
to mid ocean ridges. Pattern of magnetic anomalies also matches the pattern of
magnetic reversal already known from studies of continental lava flows.

Basalt contain a small amount of magnetic minerals such as magnetite and hematite.
These minerals retain time of their formation. magnetic signatures that reflect the
magnetic field scenario during their formation. Geologist have used the
magnetometer to measure the magnetic field of rocks. If the magnetic fields of the
rock are the same with the magnetic field, it would register strong or positive
anomaly in the magnetometer. In contrast, if the magnetic field of the rocks is
different from the current magnetic field, the magnetic field would be a weak and a
negative anomaly would be recorded. If there were no movement of the poles or the
continents, the magnetic of all the rocks in the whole planet would be consistent with
the current magnetic field condition. This is not the case, however. Based on a
magnetometer survey in the seafloor, some rocks have magnetic signals that are not
aligned with the modern magnetic field. Further evidence showed that the magnetic

10
poles are fixed and it is actually the continents that are moving with respect to the
magnetic poles and are also moving with respect to each other.

- Deep sea drilling results: Age of seafloor forms a symmetric pattern across the mid-
oceanic ridges, age increases with distance from the oceanic ridge; no seafloor older
than 200 million years could be found, indicating that seafloor is constantly being
created and destroyed.

Theory of Plate Tectonics

Main principles Plate Tectonics

A. The Earth’s outermost rigid layer (lithosphere)is broken into discrete plates each
moving more or less as a unit.
B. Driven by mantle convection, the lithospheric plates ride over the soft, ductile
asthenosphere.
C. Different types of relative motion and different types of lithosphere at plate
boundaries create a distinctive sets of geologic features.
D. It unifies concepts of continental drift, seafloor spreading and magnetic field
reversal, and other geological and geophysical discoveries.

Review on the concept of lithospheric plate

A. The lithosphere consists of the crust and the uppermost mantle.

- Average thickness of continental lithosphere :150km
- Average thickness of old oceanic lithosphere: 100km
B. Composition of both continental and oceanic crusts affect their respective
densities.
C. The lithosphere floats on a soft, plastic layer called asthenosphere.
D. Most plates contain both oceanic and continental crust; a few contain only
oceanic crust.
E. A plate is not the same as a continent.

Types of Plate Boundaries

Plate
Plate Boundary Description Example
Movement
Divergent Oceanic- Plates moving Forms elevated ridge Mid-atlantic
Oceanic away from with rift valley at the ridge, East

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 center; submarine
volcanism and Pacific Rise
shallow earthquakes
Broad elevated
each other
Continental region with major rift East African
- valley; abundant Rift valley,
Continental volcanism and Red Sea
shallow earthquakes
Dense oceanic plates
slips beneath less
dense continental
plate, trench forms on
the subsiding plate
and extensive Western
Oceanic-
volcanism on the South
continental
overriding continental America
plate. Earthquake foci
becoming deeper in
direction of
production of
subduction.
Older, cooler, denser,
Plates moving plate slips beneath
Convergen
towards each less dense plate;
t
other trench forms on
subducting plate side
Oceanic- Aleutians,
and island arc on
oceanic Marianas
overriding plate. Band
of earthquake
becoming deeper in
direction of
subduction.
Neither mass is
subducted; plate
Continental edges are
Himalayas,
- compressed, folded,
Alps
Continental and uplifted resulting
in the formation of
mountain range.
Lithosphere is neither
created nor
destroyed. Most
Mid-ocean
Plates sliding offset oceanic ridge
ridge, san
Transform past each system while some
andreas
other cut through
fault
continental crust.
Characterized by
shallow earthquakes.

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The Wilson Cycle
A. Plate tectonics is cyclic. In 1966, J. Tuzo Wilson proposed a cycle that includes
continental break-up, drifting, collision and re-assembly of the continent.
B. Main phases of the Wilson Cycle
• Rifting within the supercontinent leads to the opening of new ocean basin and
formation of oceanic crust.
• Passive margin cools and sinks, and sediment accumulates along the edge.
• Convergence begins, initiating subduction and eventual ocean closure.
• Continent-continent collision forms the next supercontinent.

Driving forces for plate motion

A. Convection in the mantle (the sinking of denser material and rising of hot, less
dense material) appears to drive plate motion.
B. Gravity-driven mechanisms such as slab-pull and ridge-push are thought to be
important in driving plate motion. Slab-pull develops when cold, dense subducting
slab of lithosphere pulls along the rest of the plate behind it. Ridge-push develops as
gravity pushes the lithosphere off the mid-ocean ridges and toward the subduction
trenches.

Chronology of
Modern Ocean
Basin Development
Because of plate
tectonics, and
oceanic basin may
be actively changing
size or may be
relatively tectonically-
inactive, depending
on the movement of
the associated
tectonic plate. The
elements of an active
and growing ocean
basin include and
active and elevated
mind-ocean ridge,
sloping towards the

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abyssal hills and plains which sometimes terminate in an oceanic trench and
subduction zone.

The Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean are examples of an active, growing ocean
basin. The Mediterranean Sea, on the other hand, is a shrinking sea as a result of
the relative plate movement. In the region. The Pacific Ocean is an active, shrinking
ocean, even though it has spreading ridge and oceanic trenches. An example of an
inactive ocean basin is the Gulf of Mexico and the Aleutian Basin, which has been
relatively inactive since its formation millions of years ago. The configuration and
distribution of ocean basins have been changing together with the movement of
plates in geologic time.

You can do this!

Task 1. Plate TESTonic. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which is not an evidence in support of the continental drift theory?
A. Similar rocks B. Similar fossils
C. Eroding Mountains D. Matching Coastlines

2. Variations in the orientation of metallic minerals in basalts is a consequence of -

____________.
A. volatile gasses B. volcanic eruption
C. magnetic reversals D. fractional crystallization

3. Majority of islands in the Philippines is a produce of volcanism due to

___________.
A. collision B. hot spot C. rifting D. subduction

4. This plate occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other.
A. Transform B. Convergent
C. Divergent D. None of the Above

5. True or False

The Philippine Sea Plate is a major plate.

Task 2. Plate-two. Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1.Converging oceanic crust & oceanic crust: Island Arc; Converging oceanic crust &
continental crust: _______________
A. Mountain Ranges B. Oceanic Crust C. Volcanic Arc D. Trench

2. What is formed from the subduction of an oceanic plate beneath a continental

plate?
A. Mountain Ranges B. Island Arc C. Volcanic Arc D. Trench

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3. This is formed when there are colliding plates (both continental) neither one
subducts because they are so buoyant.
A. Volcanic Arc B. Trench
C. Island Arc D. Mountain Ranges

4. A transform-plate boundary is where two plates slide past each other. The crust is
broken but no material is created nor destroyed. Which among the following can be
an example of this boundary?
A. San Andreas Fault B. Himalayan Mountains
C. Mariana’s Trench D. British Virgin Islands

5. This occurs because asthenosphere is plastic, therefore it can flow because of the
difference in the density of materials in the interior of the Earth brought by changing
temperature.
A. Slab pull B. Mantle Convection
C. Ridge Push D. Themohaline Circulation

Task 3. Un-“FOLDing” facts. Select the answer of the correct answer.

A B C D

1. In the illustration, which is considered as a monocline?________

2. Which is considered as the syncline? _________

3. A type of fold where the limbs of the fold is inclined away from the hinge forming
an arch-like shape.
A. Anticline B. Monocline C. Overturned D. Syncline

4. Elevated landforms. Comprising the mountains, bounded by normal faults that are
inclined in opposite directions.
A. Fault B. Graben C. Horst D. Rift

5. A type of strain where the strain is STILL reversible

A. Elastic B. Ductile C. Plastic D. Brittle

You can do more!

Task 4. Global Understanding. Select the answer of the correct answer.
1. Who is the proponent of the continental drift theory?
A. Isaac Newton B. James Mohs C. Alfred Wegener D. Francis
Bacon

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2. According to the proponent of continental drift theory, how was Pangea
described?
A. A single land mass compared to as a super continent
B. Ocean with scattered archipelago
C. Volcano Arcs around the equator and trenches alternately placed in the poles
D. Conspiracy that no land was present at all and was just submerged in a shallow
level of the ocean.

3. What evidence “Paleoclimate” in the Pangea?

A. Pangea was all frozen thus all fossils show a hairy or thick covering.
B. All the parts of the Pangea were under tropical climate with lush vegetation
C. Laurasia (the big ocean) causes strong typhoons along ends of the Pangea
causing fossils to settle in the bottom of the ocean
D. Coal is seen on all parts of the continent, suggesting there was change in the
positioning of the continent

4. Along the distribution of fossils, what 2 evidences can support the claim of having
a single continent?
A. Fossils of non-swimming animals were found of adjacent continents.
B. Fossils of oak trees are found in America and near parts of Canada
C. Alaska contain fossilized endemic species of walrus
D. Rhino’s are found mainly in Africa and it follows the same patter even at
Paleozoic Era

5. What best describes the rationale of seafloor spreading?

A. Magma oozed up from Earth’s interior along ocean ridges and this eventually
solidified.
B. Rocks soaked in water expands in size creating pressure on ridges.
C. Clastics cemented cracks along ocean rock formations generating more spread
D. The pressure deep the ocean is proportional with temperature, creating shifts in
expansion and contraction

Task 5. Ocean and more. Select the letter of the information required.
1. They also based the seafloor spreading the relation of Earth’s poles and with:
A. Formation of archipelagos C. Distribution of fossils within
continents
B. Magnetic minerals magnetite and hematite D. Ocean currents

2. The study of seafloor spreading wasn’t really intended. They made use of echo-
sounding originally for what purpose?
A. Surveillance of rival submarines C. Retrieve shipwrecks
B. Manual count of marine species D. Measure Water Quality

3. According to the scientists who developed a method in determining the numeric

age of rocks, where could youngest rocks be found?
A. At the bottom of the mid-oceanic ridge C. All parts of the ridge have the
youngest rocks
B. The farthest from the oceanic ridge D. Near the mid-oceanic ridge

16
4. When they drilled a part of the ocean, what did they discovered that supported the
theory on sea floor spreading?
A. Sediments overlying the older seafloor is thicker and older compared to those
newly formed floor.
B. Minerals along the mid-oceanic ridge never underwent melting but only was
deformed.
C. Mid-oceanic ridge had trench-like structure and oozing magma was found
thousands of kilometers from the opening
D. Sediments overlying the older seafloor is thinner and younger compared to those
newly formed floor.

5. This explains the combination of Wegener and Hassley stating that the
Lithosphere is not a continuous layer, but consists of several irregularly-shaped
pieces meeting along distinct boundaries generally indicated by seismic and volcanic
activities.
A. Seafloor Spreading B. Plate Convergence
C. Plate Tectonics D. Plate Boundaries

Task 6. Blocks. Basing from the shown illustration. Identify which part shows the
types of fault (normal, reverse), its parts and the horst and graben.

Challenge Yourself!
Task 7. Cuts very deep. Answer the questions A briefly.

C
17
 B

What are the pointed parts in the map. Please follow the arrows direct from the
needed part. Label them corresponding their Letters.
A B. C.
1. How do you describe a fault affected by sheer stress and blocks move diagonal
along fault plane?
A. Oblique B. Normal C. Slanting D. Lateral
2. What type of fault is illustrated above?

Task 8. Consequences over truth! Answer the questions briefly.

1. What would be the consequences if Earth did not divide into different layers?

2. What would be the consequences if all of plate tectonics suddenly stopped?

3. How does the evolution of the ocean basins affect hydrologic cycle?

4. Gauging the evidences presented by Alfred Wegener, would you have accepted
his theory? Why?

5. Magnetic poles of Earth have changed location relative to the movement of

continents. What changes would you wish would you expect with these changes.

Task 9. Tectonic Mapping an Idealized Plate Boundary Map and Cross Section

1. Refer to the hypothetical plate map below showing continents A and B separated
by an ocean.
Answer the following questions:
a. How many plate portions are shown?
b. Draw arrows on the map to show the relative direction the plates are moving.
c. Draw a triangle (Δ) where volcanic activity is likely to occur.
d. Draw a circle (ο) where earthquake is likely to occur."
e. Indicate with an arrow the younging direction of the lithosphere.
f. Mark the location and type of each plate boundary shown in the map.
g. If the ocean is opening at a rate of 3cm/yr, how wide will the ocean be in 100
million yrs?

18
Give your answer in kilometers.

Level Up!
Task 10: Jigsaw Realness
Part I

Continental Jigsaw Puzzle

1. Print copies of the puzzle.

19
2. Divide the class into groups of two to five. Each group is provided with the activity
materials.
4. Cut along the borders of the continents using a pair of scissors.
5. On another sheet of paper, place the continent cut-outs and try to reconstruct
Pangaea using
the given clues (fossils and mountain ranges).
6. Finalize the positions of the continents by gluing them on a sheet of paper. Draw a
circle around
to represent the Earth.
7. Cut out the legend and paste it in the lower portion of the paper.
8. Randomly select few teams to discuss their findings in front of the class.
Part II
Discuss the answers to the following questions.

1. What criteria or basis did you consider in piecing together the ‘jigsaw puzzle’?

2. Look at the resulting map. What can you conclude with regard to the location of
the different fossils? What about the mountain range?

3. Give your thoughts on why the cut-outs do not perfectly fit with each other.
Task 11. Drifting Continents. With your calculator, calculate the distance, given the
speed and time: Use the following formulas to find out how far these continents will
travel in 100 years:

1. Compute, in meters, how far these continents will travel in (a) 100 years, (b)
500,000 years and
(c) 1 million years. Tabulate the answers.

20
 Distance Traveled (in meters)
Continent Speed
100 years 50,000 years 1 million years
Antarctic 2 cm/yr
Africa 2.2 cm/yr
South America 1.5 cm/yr
North America 1.2 cm/yr
2. Which continent moves the fastest? Where will it be in 50,000 years?
3. Which continent moves the slowest? Where will it be in 1 million years?
4. Is there a chance that the continents will collide with each other? Explain your
answer. If yes,
give an example.
Task 12. Experimenting Magma: Look into the experiment and give your
observations on the experiment.
Having the knowledge on Earthquake and Fault systems, and with little readings to
the Big One. Explain in 5 to 10 sentences how earthquake, deformation, plate
movement and seafloor spreading are connected to the occurrence of earthquakes.
VII. Notes to Teachers:
Scoring Rubrics for Essay Answers

Criteria 4 3 2 1 %
Included Most of the Some events Many major
events are included included are events are
Quality of important and events are trivial, and excluded,
content interesting. important major events and too
No major or are missing. many trivial
25
details are interesting. events are
excluded. One or two included.
major
events may
be missing.
The timeline The The timeline The
contains at timeline contains at timeline
Quantity of least 5–6 contains at least 2-3 contains 1
facts events related least 3–4 events or no event.
to the topic events related to the 30
being studied. related to topic being
the topic studied.
being
studied.
Facts are Facts are Facts are Facts are 2
Accurac accurate for accurate for accurate for often 5
y of all events almost all most (~75%) inaccurate
content reported on events of the events for events
the timeline. reported on reported on reported

21
 the timeline. the timeline. on the
timeline.
Events are Almost all Most Most
Sequen placed in events are (~75%) of events are
ce of proper order. placed in the events incorrectly 1
content proper are placed placed on 0
order. in proper the
order. timeline.
Events are Events Events are Events are
clearly are not described
Sentence described described described using vague
fluency using well, but well and language or
accurate language language is inaccurate
and vivid is often vague information. 5
language. sometime or
s vague inaccurate.
or
inaccurat
e.
Punctuatio Punctuation Punctuatio There are
n, spelling , spelling n, spelling, many
and and and punctuation
Mechanics capitalizati capitalizatio capitalizatio , spelling,
on were n were n are and
checked by checked by mostly capitalizatio 5
another another correct, but n errors.
student student and were not
and are are mostly checked by
correct correct. another
throughout. student.

22
 LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET
QUARTER II/ SEMESTER I

Name:________________________________________________Score:_______

Grade & Section _________________________Subject: EARTH SCIENCE

Name of Teacher: GAYLORD BRENT R. RABANG Date: _____________

V. Title: Deformation, Seafloor Spreading, Continental Drift Theory, Plate

Tectonics
VI. Type of Activity: Concept notes with f0ormative activities

LAS for summative assessment ( Written Work

Performance Task)

VII. MELCs: Describe how rocks behave under different types of stress such
as compression, pulling apart, and shearing (S11ES-IId-27)
explain how seafloor spreads (S11ES-IIf-32)
Describe the structure and evolution of ocean basins (S11ES-
IIf-33)
Explain how the movement of plates leads to the formation of
folds, faults, trenches, volcanoes, rift valleys, and mountain
ranges (S11ES-IIg-h-34)

VIII. Learning Objective/s: understand how rocks are deformed by stress and
undergo solid deformation (strained);
explain how tension, compression, and shear stresses
produce geological structures.
identify major physiographic features of ocean basins;
demonstrate understanding of the theory of plate
tectonics and how plate

23
 tectonic processes lead to changes in Earth’s surface
features.

SUMMATIVE TEST

Objective:

Explain the relationship of Pacific Ring of Fire to plate tectonic, earthquakes, and
formation of trenches and mountain ranges.

Procedure:

1. Describe what you know about plane tectonics, including what the theory states
and how plate movements affect geological events on Earth’s surface. Are you
aware of any areas on Earth that are particularly affected by plate movements
today?
2. use the internet to research the geographic region known as the Ring of Fire.
3. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1OreyX0-fw or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_iEWvtKcuQ
Look at the animation of Earth’s plate history. See how plates and continents moved
into current positions over hundreds of millions of years.
4. Draw maps predicting what the ring of fire region might look like one hundred
million years from now. Your maps should show continents, plate divisions, and
some of the geological features, such as mountains and ocean trenches associated
with plate tectonics. Write one to two paragraphs explaining what you have drawn in
the map. In case you might have difficulties in accessing the internet, you can rely to
this illustrations to help you decide on your prediction well.

24
Guide Questions:

1. Where is the Ring of Fire located (current)?

2. Why is it called the Ring of Fire?

3. What does the Ring od Fire have to do with plate tectonics?

4. What events on the Earth surface tend to occur in this region more frequently than
in other regions of the Earth?

5. What do trenches and mountain ranges have to do with the Ring of Fire and plate
tectonics?

Illustration of the Map on the Prediction for Pacific Ring of Fire:

25
VII. Notes to Teachers:
Scoring Rubrics for Essay Answers

Criteria 4 3 2 1 %
Included Most of the Some events Many major
events are included included are events are
Quality of important and events are trivial, and excluded,
content interesting. important major events and too
No major or are missing. many trivial
25
details are interesting. events are
excluded. One or two included.
major
events may
be missing.
The timeline The The timeline The
contains at timeline contains at timeline
Quantity of least 5–6 contains at least 2-3 contains 1
facts events related least 3–4 events or no event.
to the topic events related to the 30
being studied. related to topic being
the topic studied.
being
studied.
Facts are Facts are Facts are Facts are
accurate for accurate for accurate for often
all events almost all most (~75%) inaccurate
Accurac 2
reported on events of the events for events
y of 5
the timeline. reported on reported on reported
content
the timeline. the timeline. on the
timeline.
Events are Almost all Most Most
Sequen placed in events are (~75%) of events are
ce of proper order. placed in the events incorrectly 1
content proper are placed placed on 0
order. in proper the
order. timeline.
Events are Events Events are Events are
clearly are not described
Sentence described described described using vague
fluency using well, but well and language or
accurate language language is inaccurate
and vivid is often vague information. 5
language. sometime or
s vague inaccurate.
or
inaccurat
e.

26
 Punctuatio Punctuation Punctuatio There are
n, spelling , spelling n, spelling, many
and and and punctuation
Mechanics capitalizati capitalizatio capitalizatio , spelling,
on were n were n are and
checked by checked by mostly capitalizatio 5
another another correct, but n errors.
student student and were not
and are are mostly checked by
correct correct. another
throughout. student.

Rubric for Illustrations

27