Geography: Plate Tectonics
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITY GEOGRAPHY: PLATE TECTONICS1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Geography: Plate Tectonics”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/PurposeExamining different maps and predicting what kind of tectonic plates lie beneath Earth’s surface will deepen your understanding of Earth’s processes, including the movement of plates, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.Process 1.As you look at the “Earth’s Tectonic Plates” slideshow, answer the following questions:•How does the Earth’s crust move?•What types of plates usually collide to form volcanoes?•Why do geographers study how tectonic plates move?
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITY GEOGRAPHY: PLATE TECTONICS22.Examine the maps on page 4–7 or the last four slides in the image carousel, and then fill out the table below.Map featureHow is this feature represented on the map?MountainsVolcanoesEarthquakesRifts3.To figure out what’s going on below the Earth’s surface, geographers study the distribution, patterns, and density of the features they can see. Examine the maps again and fill out the table below. •Distribution: Are the map features (mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes, rifts) clustered (close together) or dispersed (far apart)?•Pattern: Do the map features seem to form in a line, ring, or grid, or do they pop up in random places all over the map?Map featureDistribution (circle one)Pattern (circle one)MountainsClusteredDispersedLinear (line) Ring (circle) Grid RandomVolcanoesClusteredDispersedLinear (line) Ring (circle) Grid RandomEarthquakesClusteredDispersedLinear (line) Ring (circle) Grid RandomRiftsClusteredDispersedLinear (line) Ring (circle) Grid Random
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITY GEOGRAPHY: PLATE TECTONICS34.Look at each map to identify areas of density, or the frequency that a map feature occurs in a place. Label the areas where the map features (mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes, and rifts) are in high density (a lot in a small area) or low density (very few in a large area).
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITY GEOGRAPHY: PLATE TECTONICS4World map showing mountain ranges, USGS.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITY GEOGRAPHY: PLATE TECTONICS5World map with significant earthquakes, NOAA.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITY GEOGRAPHY: PLATE TECTONICS6World map with locations of volcanoes, NOAA.