Introduction to Plate Tectonics
Elizabeth Cochran
, University of California, Riverside
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This activity has been reviewed by 2 review processes
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This page first made public: Jul 31, 2007
Summary
Uses maps created in Google Earth to explore concepts of plate tectonics including locations of plate boundaries, age of the sea floor, and distribution of earthquakes
Context
Audience
This lab activity could be used for an introductory earth science/physical geology/earthquakes course for non-majors. Designed for an introductory geology course
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
Lectures prior to the lab should have covered the basics of plate tectonics, including the different types of plate boundaries.
How the activity is situated in the course
This is a stand-alone exercise typically given near the beginning of the course in either discussion or lab section.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Students synthesize several datasets to determine the characteristics and locations of plate boundaries
Students will be able to predict the type of tectonic plate boundary using bathymetry, earthquake, volcano, and sea floor age data.
Students will be able to predict plate rates and plate directions by examining an unfamiliar plate setting.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
The students must interpret several sets of data to determine where the plate boundaries are located. Requires the students to draw several diagrams and graphs to reinforce the data presented in figures. Students are also asked to think critically about plate rates and what happens at the different plate boundaries
Other skills goals for this activity
Students can pursue more information and interact with the data by downloading (free) Google Earth and various data sets. This lab could be transferred into a computer based lab quite easily if computer lab facilities are available for discussion/lab sections.
Description of the activity/assignment
In this lab students interpret bathymetric, topography, sea floor ages, and earthquake distributions to reinforce concepts about the different types of plate boundaries. Each student must interpret several sets of data to determine the location and type of plate boundary. To develop a set of basic analytical skills, the students draw several diagrams and graphs to reinforce the data presented in figures. Students are also asked to think critically about plate rates and what happens to the crust at the different plate boundaries. This activity uses online and/or real-time data and has minimal/no quantitative component.
Determining whether students have met the goals
Based on the answers students give to the questions it will be clear what remaining misconceptions student have about the concepts of plate tectonics.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Download teaching materials and tips
- Activity Description/Assignment (Acrobat (PDF) 19.3MB Jul31 07)
Other Materials
Supporting references/URLs
http://earth.google.com/
Most data is downloaded from the Google Earth Community pages, including sea floor ages, topo/bath, plate boundaries
Topo and Bathymetery data originally from:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/2minrelief.html
Earthquake data created from M4.5 and greater earthquakes for the first 6 months of 2006 using catalogs from the USGS.
Most data is downloaded from the Google Earth Community pages, including sea floor ages, topo/bath, plate boundaries
Topo and Bathymetery data originally from:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/2minrelief.html
Earthquake data created from M4.5 and greater earthquakes for the first 6 months of 2006 using catalogs from the USGS.
View a complete set of data for this lab in Google Earth format.
This activity is a variation on an original activity, Discovering Plate Boundaries developed by Dale Sawyer at Rice University.
