The Theory of Plate Tectonics: Global Tectonic and Plate Movements
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The Theory of Plate Tectonics: Global Tectonic
This theory states that:
- The lithosphere is divided into plates that cover the Earth's surface and fit together like a puzzle.
- The internal geological activity (volcanoes and earthquakes) is located in the boundaries between the plates.
- The ocean bottoms are generated in the ridges, by the magma that comes from the mantle and are destroyed in the trenches by subduction.
- When the plates move, they drag the continents. Where the plates separate, an ocean is formed, and where they collide, mountain ranges are formed.
Wegener said that the continents were those that moved on the ocean floor. LITHOSPHERE = CRUST + UPPER MANTLE.
ASTENOSPHERE allows plates to move vertically/horizontally.
Plates move with respect to each other along their boundaries where they meet. There are 3 types of movements: approaching (collision), moving apart, and sliding past (strike slip).
There are 3 types of plate boundaries: