Plate Tectonics

Terminologies

o Geology- studies earth

o Petrology- deals with the study of rock and its property
o Primary (P) wave- first type of seismic wave to be recorded in seismic
station
o Secondary (S) wave second type of earthquake wave to be recorded in
seismic station.
o Rocks- consolidated mixture of minerals.
o Fault- a break in a rock along which movement has occurred
o Fracture- any break in a rock in which no significant movement has taken
place
o Magma- a mass of molten rock formed at depth, including dissolved gasses
o Plates- rigid section of the lithosphere that move as a unit.
o Plate tectonics- a theory which suggests that earth’s crust is made up of plates that
interact in the various ways, thus producing earthquakes, mountains, volcanoes, and
other geologic features.
o Basement rocks- oldest foundation of rocks which estimated billion years old.
o Mantle plumes- are areas or columns where heat or rocks in the mantle are arising
towards the earth’s surface.
o Hotspot- are location on earth’s surface that have experience active volcanic activities
for a long time.
o Focus- actual point below the surface of the earth where the earthquake originates
o Magnitude- the size of the earthquake and determined during the seismic wave create
during an earthquake.
o Tsunami- Japanese word “tidal wave or big wave in a port)
o Seiches- large wave that moves up down instead of forward.
o Orogeny- refers to the forcesand event that lead to a large structural deformation of the
earth’s lithosphere.
 How
would
you
 Earth is about 4.5 billiodes cr ibe
n years old.y
the ea rth ?
 Nebula Theory explain how the sun formed.
 Earth is a small blue planet filming with white clouds and
liquid water.
 Why life possible in Earth?

 BIOSPHERE- All living organism

 HYDROSPHERE- includes all the water
found in the ocean.
 GEOSPHERE- Planet’s interior structure.
Plate Tectonics
 Raisin Theory
 Isostacy
 Tectonic as
carpenter
 Wegener Theory
(Pangea)
Mountains that opens downward to reservoir of
molten rock (magma).

Active Volcano- one that erupts regularly erupts

Dormant Volcano- an inactive volcano that is capable
of erupting and probably will erupt again in the
uture.
 Anatomy of an Earthquake
Earthquakes are forms of wave energy that transmitted through the bedrock.

hypocentre
epicentre Seismic waves
(focus)

shallow-focus deep focus

earthquakes earthquakes
fault
• a crack across which the rocks have been offset first. The size range
from micrometers to thousands of kilometers in lengths and ten
kilometers in depth, but they are generally much thinner than they are
long or deep.
 Three classifications of faults

NORMAL FAULT- A fault in which the hanging wall moves down

relative to the footwall as a result of extension (ex. Cabrillo Fault).
REVERSE FAULT-Also called as thrust fault. A fault in which the
hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall as a result of
compression (ex. Sumatra earthquake fault in 2004)

STRIKE-SLIP FAULT- a fault in which two blocks of crust slide

past each other on the same plane. The motion experienced is
right or left lateral instead of up and down.
FOUR TYPES OF EARTHQUAKE
TECTONIC EARTHQUAKE- The most common which happens when the shifting of the
Earth’s plates are driven by the sudden release of energy within some limited region of the
rocks on Earth.
VOLCANIC EARTHQUAKE-occurs in volcanic regions and can serves as an early warning
of volcanic eruptions. It is caused by injection or withdrawal of magma in response to
changes in pressure in the rock where the magma has experienced stress.
COLLAPSE EARTHQUAKES- small earthquakes located underground and in mines that are
caused disintegration of the roof of the mine or caven or by massive land sliding.

EXPLOSION EARTHQUAKE-Results from detonation of chemicals of nuclear devices.

 PLATE TECTONICS THEORY
 The Earth’s crust and upper mantle are broken into sections called plates. Plates move around on top of the mantle
like rafts.
 Plate Tectonics explain the formation of volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain ranges.
 Volcanoes are landforms build up by molten rocks that rise to Earth’s surface through a vent. Most active
volcanoes are located along volcanic belts associated with the collision of tectonic plates. A volcanic belt is
formed due to convergence of the tectonic plates in the Pacific Ring of Fire.
 Earthquakes occur when there is a release of energy produced when the rocks or plates collide or slide against
each other. The spot underground where the rock breaks is called the focus. The place right above the focus (on
the surface) is called the epicentre.
 Mountain Ranges are created when converging plates collide into each other, they crumple and fold under the
enormous pressure.