Early Earth
Oldest Crystal
Zircon
is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
Divergent Boundary
Radioactive decay shows that Earth formed
4.5 billion years ago
the study of the formation and movements of plates
Plate Tectonics
the process where ocean floor is extended when two plates move apart
Sea Floor Spreading
•During early Earth’s melting, materials separated into zones according to their densities
•What settled into the core?
Fe and Ni
is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other causing a process known as subduction.
Convergent Boundary
Oldest Rocks were found in Canada around
4.28 billion years old
•Earth’s surface consists of a _________ major plates moving about 10 cm/year
dozen
Mid-ocean ridge found mainly under the ocean’s surface except in ...
Iceland
•During early Earth’s melting, materials separated into zones according to their densities
•What formed the earliest crust?
Silicates
is a plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal.
Transform Fault
water vapor in the atmosphere began to precipitate and form the oceans
3.9 billion years ago
Examples to validate the Theory of Plate Tectonics
: sonar, seismometers, magnetometer
•Age of the seafloor gets progressively older
away from the ridge
•During early Earth’s melting, materials separated into zones according to their densities
•What compounds made up the atmosphere?
•Gaseous
is the biggest crash scene on Earth. These boundaries mark the collision between two of the planet's tectonic plates
Subduction Zone
weathering, erosion, and deposition began
3.8 billion years ago
isolated belt around the Pacific Ocean where 90% of the world’s volcanoes exist
•Ring of Fire
•Stripes of normal and reversed polarity parallel the mid-ocean ridge flipping
every 200,000 to 300,000 years
Earth’s solid crust formed, plate tectonics began
4.2 billion years ago
a theory explaining the structure of the earth's crust and many associated phenomena as resulting from the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates which move slowly over the underlying mantle.
Plate Tectonics
life began to evolved at an incredible rate
2.8 billion years
__________ are evidence that fossilized marine organisms can be found at high altitudes
Himalayan Mountains
Finding_____ rocks at mid-ocean ridges is considered evidence for sea floor spreading
Younger