LITHOSPHERE

• 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
• Can


  Able to do something (e.g. "She can speak three languages.")
• Could


  Able to do something in the past (e.g. "They could play soccer when they were younger.")
• May

  Permission or possibility (e.g. "You may leave the room.")
• Must


  Necessity or obligation (e.g. "You must be there.")
• Ought to

  Obligation or duty (e.g. "You ought to thank your parents.")
• Deontic vs Epistemic Modals

  Deontic: necessity or obligation, Epistemic: possibility or ability