The document discusses how continental drift occurs through plate tectonics. It explains that convection currents in the asthenosphere, the liquid layer between the lithosphere and outer core, cause the movement of tectonic plates. Hot magma in the mantle rises due to convection currents, cools and sinks, moving the rigid tectonic plates comprising the lithosphere. This continuous cycling of magma drives the drifting of continents via plate tectonics.

1. 9/15/11
LEQ: HOW does continental drift happen?
(reminder: complete sentences!)
1. What is Pangaea?
2. What is the theory of continental drift?
3. What different types of evidence do we
have to support this theory?
4. Is it possible to find ice evidence in
Jamaica? Explain.

2. AGENDA:
• WORK TIME
• ACTIVATING STRATEGY
• NEW LEQ NOTES/MATERIAL
• DEMOS
• PRACTICE

3. Today’s LEQ: How does continental
drift happen?
By the end of today, you should be able to…
1. Explain the geologic conditions that allow
continents to move
2. Describe convection currents that cause the
continents to move

4. KEY VOCABULARY
8. Plate tectonics
9. Convection Currents
10. Lithosphere
11. Asthenosphere

5. Activating Strategy
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzzGPfVx3
2M

6. We know that the continents
moved apart….BUT HOW IS THIS
POSSIBLE?!

7. LAVA LAMP SCIENCE
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgGHl_gRi
YU&feature=related
• HOW DOES A LAVA LAMP
WORK?

8. Demo Time!
• WATCH!
• What was the difference
between when the food coloring
was placed over the hot liquid vs.
the cold liquid?

9. Making observations: WATCH THE
EARTH’S MANTLE!
• http://education.sdsc.edu/optiputer/flash/con
vection.htm

10. Making Inferences:
• What do all of these things have in
common?
HEAT!

11. Key Point
• The movement of the food coloring represents
the movement of magma in the Earth’s mantle
• This movement is what causes Earth’s
continents to move away from each other

12. DEFINITION: DIAGRAM:
The cycle of magma under
the crust as it
heats, rises, cools, and
sinks
CONVECTIO
CAUSES: EFFECTS:
N
CURRENTS

13. DIAGRAM:
Plates move!
Mantle
OUTER CORE
INNER CORE

14. HOT Q:
• How would the position of
the continents have been
different if the inner core was
made of a solid block of ice
and not hot iron?
a. The continents would still
be one mega continent,
Pangaea
b. The continents would be
the same position as they
are today

15. (THIS GOES UNDERNEATH YOUR FRAYER DIAGRAM)
LITHOSPHERE:
ASTHENOSPHERE:
TECTONIC PLATES:

16. CONTINENTS ADRIFT
• What form of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) do
you think the crust is made of?

17. What about the oceanic crust?!

18. (THIS GOES UNDERNEATH YOUR FRAYER DIAGRAM)
LITHOSPHERE: the rocky crust and the
solid top layer of the mantle
ASTHENOSPHERE:
TECTONIC PLATES:

19. DEMO: CONTINENTS ADRIFT
• What form of matter do you think lies
underneath the lithosphere?

20. (THIS GOES UNDERNEATH YOUR FRAYER DIAGRAM)
LITHOSPHERE: the solid crust and the
rigid top layer of the mantle
ASTHENOSPHERE: the liquid, tar-like
layer below the lithosphere
TECTONIC PLATES:

22. MAKE AN INFERENCE:
WHAT IS A TECTONIC PLATE?

23. (THIS GOES UNDERNEATH YOUR FRAYER DIAGRAM)
LITHOSPHERE: the solid crust and the
rigid top layer of the mantle
ASTHENOSPHERE: the liquid, tar-like
layer below the lithosphere
TECTONIC PLATES: huge slabs of the
lithosphere that move because of
convection currents

25. DEFINITION: DIAGRAM:
The cycle of magma under
the crust as it
heats, rises, cools, and
sinks
CONVECTIO
CAUSES: EFFECTS:
N
Hotter core temperature
CURRENTS plates “drift”
Liquid asthenosphere Tectonic
Rigid lithosphere apart!

26. Steps of Convection Comics!!
1. Use the list at your desk to put the steps of
convection in order (the first one is done for
you)
2. Draw a comic strip for the four steps of
convection currents!
3. Your comic strip should include:
A) 4 boxes (1 for each step in the cycle)
B) 4 illustrations EXAMPLE:
C) the four steps of convection (you may copy
Liquid magma in the mantle is
heated by the earth’s core
the 4 steps exactly if you like, but you are
encouraged to be creative!)
(add illustration
here)

27. SUMMARIZER
• Watch the video again
• This preview is for a movie called
“Ice Age: Continental Drift”
• In 3 sentences or more, explain why the continents
ACTAULLY move—(hint—it is not because of a squirrel
running around…)
• YOU MUST USE EACH OF THE FOLLOWING VOCABULARY
FOCUS WORDS in your answer!!!
-Lithosphere
-Asthenosphere
-Convection Current(s)
-Tectonic plates

28. Let’s REVIEW: Earn your seat
• What is the name of the mega continent?
• Who proposed the theory of continental drift?
• What is the theory of continental drift?
• What are the 3 types of evidence that support this
theory?
• Why do the continents move apart?
• How do convection currents cause the plates to move?
• Why is it possible we could find fossils of tropical plants
in Alaska?
• How is it possible that similar animal fossils are found
on two separate continents?