2. CA- California K-12 Academic Content Standards
Subject : Science
Grade : Grades Nine Through Twelve
Area : Earth Sciences
Sub-Strand : Dynamic Earth Processes
Concept 3: Plate tectonics operating over geologic time has changed the patterns of land, sea, and
mountains on Earth’s surface. As the basis for understanding this concept:
a: Students know features of the ocean floor (magnetic patterns, age, and sea-floor topography) provide
evidence of plate tectonics.
b: Students know the principal structures that form at the three different kinds of plate boundaries.
c: Students know how to explain the properties of rocks based on the physical and chemical conditions in
which they formed, including plate tectonic processes.
d: Students know why and how earthquakes occur and the scales used to measure their intensity and
magnitude.
3. 1. Compare and contrast plate boundaries:
convergent, divergent, and transform
2. Learn about the causes and effects of
earthquakes and where they occur
5. *Convection Currents move tectonic plates.
*Convection Currents in the Earth are caused
by the Earth’s hot inner core heating the
magma within the mantle.
6. The movement of tectonic plates is related to the distribution of
heat by convection currents in the mantle.
7. *A Fault is a fracture, or break, in Earth’s
Lithosphere.
Along parts of the fault, the rocks on either side may
slide along slowly and constantly.
Along other parts of the fault, the rocks may stick, or
lock together.
The rocks bend as stress is put on them.
8. *Stress: Force exerted when an object
presses on, pulls on, or pushes against
another object.
*As stress increases, the rocks break free. A
sudden release of stress in the Lithosphere causes
an earthquake
9. *An Earthquake is the shaking of the ground
caused by a sudden movement of large blocks
of rock along a fault.
*Most faults are located along tectonic plate
boundaries, therefore, most earthquakes
occur at those points.
The rocks that move are much smaller than the
tectonic plate.
10.
11. Tectonic Plates can be thousands of kilometers
long.
During even a powerful earthquake the rocks
may only move a few meters past each other
along a distance of several hundred kilometers.
*The strength of an earthquake depends
in part on:
*How much stress builds up (potential energy)
before the rocks move.
*The distance the rocks move along the fault.
12. 80% of all earthquakes occur in a belt around
the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
In the U.S. the best-known Fault in this belt is the
San Andreas Fault in CA.
The Fault forms part of the boundary between the
North American Plate and the Pacific Plate.
13.
14. The San Andreas, unlike many other Faults, can be
seen on the surface of the ground.
Earthquakes also occur along Faults within plates.
All Earthquakes occur in the Lithosphere where the
rocks are cold, hard and brittle.
Below the Lithosphere is the hot malleable, and in
spots, molten.
A few Earthquakes occur far below the normal depth
of the Lithosphere because the plates being
Subducted are still cold and rigid enough to break.
15.
16. AQ
All Earthquakes occur in the Lithosphere where the rocks
are cold, hard and brittle
A Below the Lithosphere is the hot malleable, and in spots,
molten.
17. Can you identify which of the plates are only made of oceanic crust?
18. Use usgs.gov to find earthquakes in real-time to map
the tectonic plates.
19. Write three questions from this section, look
in the book or on the Internet for the
answers.
Pg 543-551