Plate Teconic Theory Milton 7th Grade Advanced Science板块构造理论密尔顿第七级先进的科学.ppt

Harry Hess Lived 1906–1969 American Geologist  1962 - Sea Floor Spreading Theory – idea that the seafloor itself moves and carries continents with it, as it expands from a central point caused by convection currents in the molten, very weak upper mantle, or asthenosphere. Sea Floor Spreading molten magma from beneath the earths crust could ooze up between the plates in the rift in the ocean floor. As the hot magma cooled in the ocean water, it would expand and push the plates beside it. Mid Atlantic Ridge North and South America would move to the west and Eurasia and Africa would move to the east. The Atlantic Ocean would get wider, but the coastlines of the landmasses would not change dramatically. Dan McKenzie Lives 1942– English Geophysicist  1968 - Theory of Plate Tectonics – is a combination of two earlier ideas: continental drift and sea-floor spreading. Plate Tectonics Earths outermost layer, the lithosphere, is broken into 7 large, rigid pieces called plates. Several minor plates also exist. The plates are all moving in different directions and at different speeds, from 2 cm to 10 cm per year in relationship to each other. Main Features of Plate Tectonics The Earths surface is covered by a series of crustal plates. The ocean floors are continually moving, spreading from the center, sinking at the edges, and being regenerated. Convection currents beneath the plates move the crustal plates in different directions. The source of heat driving the convection currents is from radioactivity deep in the Earth’s mantle. Plate Boundaries Stay tuned for our next topic: Plate Boundaries References USGS /publications/text/historical.html BBC Schools http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/21c/earth_and_space/continentaldriftrev1.shtml University of Oregon /~imamura/121/lecture-9/tectonic.html PBS /wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/ University of California, Berkeley /history/wegener.html Plate Tectonic Theory Plate Tectonic The