EESA06H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: South American Plate, Mantle Convection, Oceanic Trench
11 Feb 2013
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Document Summary
Tectonics the study of the origin and arrangement of the broad structural features of the earth"s surface including folds, faults, mountain belts, continents, and earthquake belts. Plate tectonics the earth"s surface is divided into a few large, thick plates that move slowly and change in size; dominates geologic thought because it can explain so many features. Plate boundaries plates move away from one another, past one another, or towards one another; intense geologic activity occurs here. Eight large plates/smaller plates makes up the outer shell of the earth (the crust and upper part of the mantle) Continental drift continents move freely over the earth"s surface, changing their positions relative to one another. A hypothesis that the sea floor forms at the crest of mid-oceanic ridges, then moves horizontally away from the ridge crest toward an oceanic trench. Two sides of the ridge are moving in opposite directions.
