Imaging the interior of the Earth using seismic waves
Ideas
- Identify the areal extent of a plate
Animation source:
Geology of the Scotian Margin
Geological Survey of Canada
Questions for thought
- Are plates capped with continental or oceanic crust? Consider the North American Plate.
- Are tectonic plates pieces of crust or lithosphere?
- Which of these layers (by composition) make up a plate - crust, mantle core?
- As the Atlantic Ocean opens, what's happening to the size of the North American Plate? Consult the animation below.
Related resources
- Tectonic plate motion Measurements of how fast the plates move. Crustal Dynamics Data Information System, NASA
- Surface of the Mars Equivalent map showing the topography of Mars. U.S. Geological Survey