Science q1

• Lithosphere


  The rocky skin of Earth
• Essential learning competency


  • Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters, and major mountain belts to plate tectonic fury
• Objectives


  • Describe the Earth's lithosphere
  • Differentiate oceanic and continental crust
  • Infer that the Earth's lithosphere is divided into plates
  • Identify the major lithospheric plates
  • Determine the scientific basis for dividing the lithospheric plates
• The world map shows countries, continents, oceans, and islands
• Tectonic plates


  Smaller sections of the lithosphere
• Plate boundaries


  Edges that separate the tectonic plates
• Types of lithospheric plates

  • Continental lithosphere
  • Oceanic lithosphere
• Continental lithosphere


  Thick, found under land masses, average thickness of 25-70 km, composed of old rocks, average density of 2.7 g/cm^3, mostly made of granite
• Oceanic lithosphere


  Thinner, younger, denser with average density of 3.0 g/cm^3, mostly made of basalt
• Types of plates


  • Primary plates
  • Secondary plates
• Primary plates


  Larger plates
• Secondary plates


  Smaller plates
• Primary plates


  • Pacific plate
  • North American plate
  • Eurasian plate
  • African plate
  • Antarctic plate
  • Australian plate
  • South American plate
• Secondary plates


  • Juan de Fuca plate
  • Nazca plate
  • Cocos plate
  • Caribbean plate
  • Philippine plate
  • Arabian plate
  • Indian plate
  • Scotia plate
• Basis for dividing lithospheric plates


  1. Gathering data on earthquake epicenters

  2. Mapping volcanic activities

  3. Identifying major mountain ranges
• Earthquake epicenters, volcanic activities, and major mountain ranges


  Distributed near or along plate boundaries
• Scientists use these geologic events and features to identify and plot plate boundaries
• This lesson is about the lithosphere, the rocky skin of Earth
• Essential learning competency


  Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters, and major mountain belts to plate tectonic fury
• Lithosphere


  The earth's crust and upper mantle
• Lithosphere


  • Divided into plates
  • Plates have boundaries that separate them
• Major lithospheric plates


  • Pacific plate
  • North American plate
  • Eurasian plate
  • African plate
  • Antarctic plate
  • Australian plate
  • South American plate
• Primary plates


  Larger plates
• Secondary plates


  Smaller plates
• Secondary plates


  • Juan de Fuca plate
  • Nazca plate
  • Cocos plate
  • Caribbean plate
  • Philippine plate
  • Arabian plate
  • Indian plate
  • Scotia plate
• Basis for dividing lithospheric plates

  1. Analyzing distribution of earthquake epicenters

  2. Analyzing distribution of active volcanoes

  3. Analyzing distribution of major mountain belts
• Earthquake epicenters, active volcanoes, and major mountain belts


  Distributed near or along plate boundaries
• Scientists use earthquake data, volcanic eruption data, and mountain range data to plot plate boundaries