2019
Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Plate Tectonics
Vocabulary: asthenosphere, collision zone, convergent boundary, crust, divergent boundary,
earthquake, lithosphere, mantle, plate, plate tectonics, subduction zone, transform boundary,
volcano
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Volcanoes are openings in Earth’s crust where lava, gas, and ash can erupt. Where are
active volcanoes located? __More commonly along tectonic plate boundaries_______
2. An earthquake is a violent shaking of Earth’s surface. Where are earthquakes common?
_________In regions where tectonic plates meet_____________________
Gizmo Warm-up
Volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains, and other features of Earth’s
surface owe their origin to the movements of plates: enormous,
slowly-moving sections of Earth’s crust. At plate boundaries,
plates collide, move apart, move under or over each other, or slide
past one another. The theory of plate tectonics describes how
the plates move, interact, and change the physical landscape.
The Plate Tectonics Gizmo shows a cross-section, or side view, of Earth. (Not to scale.) Above
the cross section is a bird’s-eye view of the same location.
1. Turn on Show labels. What are the layers of Earth that you can see? __Crust, lithosphere,
and asthenosphere____________________
The lithosphere is a layer of rigid rock that consists of the crust and the upper part of
Earth’s mantle. The asthenosphere is a layer of the mantle that can deform like plastic.
2. Turn on Boundary name, and click on each boundary. What four boundaries do you see?
__Divergent, convergent, transform, and subduction________________________
