Driving Forces and Effects

of Plate Tectonics
 Causes of Plate Movement
• Mantle convection: The process in which heat
from Earth’s inner and outer cores is
transferred through the mantle
• Energy source for convection: heat of Earth’s
interior
• Gravity pulls down the cooler, more dense
region of the mantle
 Hot Spots
• Hot spots: regions of volcanic activity in
the interior parts of plates away from plate
boundaries
• Examples: Hawaii and Yellowstone
 Hot Spots
• Hot spots occur where rising magma from
the lower mantle remains stationary for
millions of years.
• As a plate moves over the rising magma,
melting of the plate occurs.
• Hot spots are regions of intrusive and
extrusive volcanic activity that can build
volcanoes and lava flows put up regions of
the crust to form mountains
 KEY IDEA: The hot spot is
stationary… the plate moves
creating an island chain
Other Effects of Plate Tectonics
• Environmental hazards (ex. Earthquakes)
• Changes in Earths’ climate and weather
• The rock cycle
• Major landscape feature of Earth (ex. Mountains,
plains, oceans)
• Exposing rocks to weathering and erosion
providing new information
 VIDEO LINK
• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=66UdZWZgf
WY
• If you cannot open the link, read the
directions posted on the Flipped Notes
assignment