Unit 2 Plate Tectonics Instructional Materials
1) Read “This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics” by W. Jaquelyne Kios and Robert I Tilling, U.S. Geological Survey
- Read the following sections (~38 short pages) either online or by downloading the PDF:
- Preface
- Historical perspective
- Developing the theory
- Understanding plate motions
- Hotspots
- Some unanswered questions
- Plate tectonics and people
2) Watch plate tectonics animations – These animations will help you understand the sense of motion of tectonic plates at each type of boundary, and the resulting geologic phenomena (earthquakes and volcanoes) from IRIS YouTube Channel
- What drives plate tectonics:
- Lithospheric plates:
- Transform faults:
- Divergent Plate Boundaries/spreading centers:
- Hot Spots:
- Subduction zone (convergent boundary) animation from the IRIS YouTube channel
- A second subduction animation, with tsunami from the IRIS Youtube channel