Plate tectonic

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1.HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

 You must be having a fair idea about Continental Drift Theory given by
Alfred Lothar Wegner a 32 year old lecturer in metrology and
astronomy in Germany . Wegner delivered a lecture on ‘’The
Formation of the major Features of the Earth ‘ s crust ( Continent
andOceans ) ‘’at Frankfurt in an eminent Geological association. In his
lecture he suggested that continents had once been combined in the
form of original single sialic land-mass and had afterward broken apart
and drifted to their present positions.
His theory attracted little notice by the scientific community of
his day. Geologists considered his theory as an impossible
hypothesis. He gave his theory in 1912 and humankind
reached on moon on 16 July 1969 (Apollo 11).
During 1915 to 1960 in general scientific community overlooked that “South America and Africa appear to
fit together” which was infact a reality. It was no less than revolution in science and paradigm in
geoscience to recognize that land under you and me is not static rather it is moving at a rate of 2.5 to
more than 15 centimeters per year. A famous historian of science Thomas J. Kuhn (1970) said “Paradigms
gain their status because they are more successful than their competitors in solving a few problems that
the group of practitioners has come to recognize as acute”. Wegner was right that continents are moving
but since at his time there was a little information about the secrets of the Ocean floor. Wegner was also
not able to convince geologists what moved the continents.

Now we know that continents are like cargo containers on a ship i.e., ship transports the cargo containers.
On the planet the ship can be considered as plate. Tuzo Wilson was first to introduce the moving-plates
idea in the year 1965 but his purpose was to explain the transform faults which later became an important
feature to delineate the plate boundary.
2.Assumptions of the Theory

 While the new ocean crust is being generated , old crust

must either be destroyed or reduced at the same
rate .therefore , the total area of the crust remains
unchanged or constant .
 The sea floor spreading occurs.
 The outermost layer of the earth , known as the
lithosphere , behaves as a strong , rigid substANCE
RESTING ON A WEAKER REGION IN THE Mantle known as
the asthenosphere ( kent c.condie). The plates are
continuously in motion.
 3.Evidences

 Science requires the use of methods that are systematic, logical and
empirical.geologists and seismologists have gathered many empirical
evidences in support of plate tectonic theory.these scientific evidences are as
follows:
 3.1 The Shapes Match : Jig–saw–Fit
 3.2 The identical fossils of Plants and Animals
 3.3 Comparative stratigraphy : A similar sequence of rocks at numerous
locations
 3.4 The ice matches : glaciers and tillite
4. What is Plate?

 A tectonic plate is a gigantic , irregularly shaped rigid slab of rock

which moves slowly over the asthenosphere. Sometimes it is
recognized as lithosphere plate. You already know that the middle
layer mantle is seprated from the crust by MOHO DISCONTINUITY.
THE PRESENT DIAGRAM shows the thickness of a plate. The
diagram also exhibits that the thickness of plate in oceanic areas is
less, which may range between 5 to 100 kilometers on the contrary its
thickness is naturally more in the continental areas.
What is a Plates?
 Pacific plate is largely an oceanic plate whereas the Eurasian plate may be called a
continent plate. Below the lithosphere lies the asthenosphere which is a semiviscous
layer of earth . The areal size of plate can vary greatly , from a few hundred to
thousands of kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic plates are among the
largest.

 THE EDEGS OF THE PLATE BOUNDARY CAN BE DELINEATED OR IDENTIFIED BY THREE

FEATURES :
 1. OCEAN RIDGES
 2. TRENCHES
 3.TRANSFORM FAULTS
5.DISTRIBUTION OF MAJOR AND MINOR PLATES
MAJOR AND MINOR PLATES

MAJOR MINOR
 PACIFIC  COCOS
 AMERICAN  NAZCA
 EURASIA  ARABIAN
 AFRICAN  PHILIPPINE
 ANTARCTIC  CAROLINE
 INDIA – AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEWLAND  FUJI
RATE OF MOVEMENT

 Plate movement is slow and they are moving no faster than human fingernails
grow but by geological standards even this movement is considered as rapid. For
example, it took only 150 million years to form present day Atlantic Ocean from
only a fracture in the Pangaea. Plate speeds range from to more than 15
centimeters per year. For instance Arctic Ridge has the slowest rate i.e., less
than 2.5 cm per year. On the other hand the East Pacific Rise near Easter Island
has the fastest rate, which is more than 15 cm per year. It is also important to
note when the new Ocean crust is being generated, old crust is destroyed or
reduced. Therefore the total area of the crust remains unchanged or constant.
6.WHY PLATE MOVES?

 Within 40 years of the denial of Continental drift theory by contemporary

much of the geological Community the main idea of horizontal movement of
continents has become part of plate tectonics theory. The technological
developments leading to the opening up of ocean basin geology has uncovered
Mid Oceanic Ridge system in the middle part of Atlantic Ocean. The discovery
of “Mid Oceanic Ridges” transform faults, trenches and hot spots added new
dimension in the movement of plates. It is now clear that driving force behind
the movement of plates is the heat and mantle drag, density difference and
consequent slab pull and ridge push.
7.TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES

 Tectonic plates are constantly moving with respect to each other. They may move apart, or collide together, and slide

and grind against each other. For each of these events, geomorphologists recognize different type of boundary. Let us

see each one in detail.

 7.1 Divergent or extensional boundary or constructive margin: linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that

are moving away from each other. For example, Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the North and South American Plates

from the Eurasian and African Plates. This pulling apart causes "sea-floor spreading" as new material is added to the

oceanic plates.

 7.2 Convergent plate boundary: Here crust is destroyed and recycled back into the interior of the Earth as one plate

having higher density dives under another. It is also known as destructive plate boundary. It is noteworthy mountains

and volcanoes are often found where plates converge. In general there are 3 types of convergent boundaries: (i)

Oceanic-Continental Convergence; (ii) Oceanic-Oceanic Convergence and (iii) between two continental plates.

 7.3 Parallel or Transform Boundaries or strike-slip boundary: is said to occur when tectonic plates slide and grind

against each other along a horizontal transform fault.

THANKS DEAR