Friday 12/14/18

Today we finished the "Graham" Plate Tectonics lab.  Here we are learning about the different fault types using a hands on lab.   Here is a video of what we are working on. We looked over the convergent boundary where an oceanic plate and a continental plate collide.   The oceanic plate was represented by the graham cracker and the continental plate is represented by the rice crispy.
A good example of this is The Andes Mountains.

Here are the question for the lab sheet

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – PART 2

1.    What happens when a tectonic plate gets subducted?

2.    Name a specific location on the Earth where this kind of boundary activity takes place.

3.    What features are formed on the continent along this boundary?

4.    What feature is formed in the ocean along the subduction zone?

We then moved on to a transform boundary where two graham crackers are rubbed together to show two continental plates moving past each other.  Of course this is call horizontal movement because neither of the plates if force together or under one another. This lateral movement is under tremendous pressure so the rubbing or breaking creates earthquakes.
A good example of this is the San Andreas Fault.

Here are the questions for the lab sheet.

DISCUSSION – PART 3

1.    What happens to the wet ends of the graham crackers?

2.    In what way do the wet crackers act more like the real crustal plates than the dry crackers?

3.    What feature do the resulting ends of the wet crackers represent?

4.    Name a specific location on the Earth where this type of boundary activity takes place

We finally finished off with a convergent boundary of two continental plates. Here the plates collide and because they are of the same material, granite and so float at the same level.  They therefor collide and push each other up to form some of the largest mountain ranges in the world.
An example of this is the Himalayan Mountains.

Here are the questions for the lab sheet.

DISCUSSION – PART 4

1.    Why is this movement often described as “horizontal” sliding?

2.    Name a specific location on the Earth where this type of boundary activity takes place.

3.    Nothing happens at the beginning, but as the pressure is increased, the crackers finally break. What do we call the breaking and vibrating of the Earth’s crust?

 These are due on Monday first thing.  Remember that the answers must be in complete sentences.