1. FOCUS

2. CA- California K-12 Academic Content Standards
Subject : Science
Grade : Grades Nine Through Twelve
Area : Earth Sciences
Sub-Strand : Dynamic Earth Processes
Concept 3: Plate tectonics operating over geologic time has changed the patterns of land, sea, and
mountains on Earth’s surface. As the basis for understanding this concept:
a: Students know features of the ocean floor (magnetic patterns, age, and sea-floor topography) provide
evidence of plate tectonics.
b: Students know the principal structures that form at the three different kinds of plate boundaries.
c: Students know how to explain the properties of rocks based on the physical and chemical conditions in
which they formed, including plate tectonic processes.
d: Students know why and how earthquakes occur and the scales used to measure their intensity and
magnitude.

3. 1. Compare and contrast plate boundaries:
convergent, divergent, and transform
2. Learn about the causes and effects of
earthquakes and where they occur

4.  Seismologist- scientist who studies seismic
waves

5.  *Convection Currents move tectonic plates.
 *Convection Currents in the Earth are caused
by the Earth’s hot inner core heating the
magma within the mantle.

6.  The movement of tectonic plates is related to the distribution of
heat by convection currents in the mantle.

7.  *A Fault is a fracture, or break, in Earth’s
Lithosphere.
 Along parts of the fault, the rocks on either side may
slide along slowly and constantly.
 Along other parts of the fault, the rocks may stick, or
lock together.
 The rocks bend as stress is put on them.

8.  *Stress: Force exerted when an object
presses on, pulls on, or pushes against
another object.
 *As stress increases, the rocks break free. A
sudden release of stress in the Lithosphere causes
an earthquake

9.  *An Earthquake is the shaking of the ground
caused by a sudden movement of large blocks
of rock along a fault.
 *Most faults are located along tectonic plate
boundaries, therefore, most earthquakes
occur at those points.
 The rocks that move are much smaller than the
tectonic plate.

11.  Tectonic Plates can be thousands of kilometers
long.
 During even a powerful earthquake the rocks
may only move a few meters past each other
along a distance of several hundred kilometers.
 *The strength of an earthquake depends
in part on:
 *How much stress builds up (potential energy)
before the rocks move.
 *The distance the rocks move along the fault.

12.  80% of all earthquakes occur in a belt around
the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
 In the U.S. the best-known Fault in this belt is the
San Andreas Fault in CA.
 The Fault forms part of the boundary between the
North American Plate and the Pacific Plate.

14.  The San Andreas, unlike many other Faults, can be
seen on the surface of the ground.
 Earthquakes also occur along Faults within plates.
 All Earthquakes occur in the Lithosphere where the
rocks are cold, hard and brittle.
 Below the Lithosphere is the hot malleable, and in
spots, molten.
 A few Earthquakes occur far below the normal depth
of the Lithosphere because the plates being
Subducted are still cold and rigid enough to break.

16. AQ
 All Earthquakes occur in the Lithosphere where the rocks
are cold, hard and brittle
A Below the Lithosphere is the hot malleable, and in spots,
molten.

17. Can you identify which of the plates are only made of oceanic crust?

18.  Use usgs.gov to find earthquakes in real-time to map
the tectonic plates.

19.  Write three questions from this section, look
in the book or on the Internet for the
answers.
 Pg 543-551