Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth’s subterranean movements. The theory transformed the earth sciences by explaining many phenomena, including mountain building events, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

1. Mechanism of Plate Tectonics
and
Resultant Landforms
Mithun Ray
Department of Geography
Malda College (University of Gour Banga)
E-mail: mithun.ray147@gmail.com

2. Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains
how major landforms are created as a result of
Earth’s subterranean movements. The theory
transformed the earth sciences by explaining many
phenomena, including mountain building events,
volcanoes, and earthquakes.

3. The study of whole mechanism of evolution,
nature and motions of plates, deformations
within plats and interactions of plate margins
with each other is collectively known as
Plate Tectonics

4. Plate Tectonic Theory – A significant Scientific
advancement of the decade 1960’s
 1965 ----J.T. Wilson first used the term Plate
 1967 ----Mackenzie and Parker discussed in details
the mechanism of plate motions
 1968 ----W.J. Morgan and Le Pichon elaborated the
various aspects of plate tectonics

5. Plate
Rigid and Solid Lithospheric Slabs
Lithosphere
is the outer solid part of the earth, including the
crust and uppermost mantle

6. 07 Major Plates
and
20 Minor Plates

7. 07 Major Plates
and
20 Minor Plates

8. Plate Boundaries
A. Convergent Plate Boundary
A. Divergent Plate Boundary
B. Conservative Plate Boundary

9. [A] Convergent Plate Boundary
Also known as Destructive Plate Boundary or consuming Plate
Boundary

10. Convergent Plate Boundary
i. Ocean-Ocean Collision
ii. Continent-Continent Collision
iii. Ocean - Continent Collision

11. Subduction Zone
Where the oceanic plate converges with the less dense
continental plate, the heavier plate dives beneath the
second plate and sinks into the mantle.

12. Obduction Zone
Obduction occurs where a fragment of
continental crust is caught in a
subduction zone with resulting overthrusting of
oceanic mafic and ultramafic rocks from the
mantle onto the continental crust.

13. Benioff Zone
A Wadati–Benioff zone is a planar zone of seismicity
corresponding with the down-going slab in a
subduction zone. Differential motion along
the zone produces numerous earthquakes, the foci of
which may be as deep as about 670 km (420 mi).

14. [B] Divergent Plate Boundary
Also known as Constructive Plate Boundary or Accrting Plate
Boundary

15. [C] Transform Plate Boundary
Also known as Conservative Plate Boundary or Parallel Plate
Boundary

16. Flake Tectonics

17. Plate Motion

18. Direction and Rate of Plate Movement and
Measurement
A.Global Positioning System
B. Analysis of Paleo-Magnetic Information
C. Sea Floor Spreading

21. Magnetic Pole
Geographical
Poles
Magnetic
Axis
Rotation Axis

22. Magnetic
Inclination/
Magnetic Dip
Magnetic
Declination

23. Magnetic Equator
The imaginary
line joining
places of zero
magnetic dip

24. Polar Wandering

25. Galvanometer
Used to record the Magnetism preserved in the rocks.

26. Magnetometer
Used To Measure the Magnitude, Declination and
Inclination of Local Force.

27. Plate Margins and Related Landforms
Divergent Plate margin and Mid-Oceanic Ridge

28. Divergent Plate margin and creation of Ocean

29. Divergent Plate margin
and creation of sea

30. Convergent Plate Margin and Creation of
Volcanic Island

31. Island arc
and Trench
situation in
Convergent
Plate
Margin

33. Convergent Plate Margin
and Folded Mountain

35. Formation
of
Rocky
Mountains

36. Transform Plate Margin and Fault

37. Transform Fault
and
Fracture Zone

38. San Andreas Fault

39. San Andreas Fault

40. Relationship between Earth Quakes
and Plate Boundaries

41. This Power Point Presentation (PPT) has
been prepared especially for
Undergraduate Students. The materials
(Maps, Diagrams and Images) used in this
presentation collected and
compiled mainly from various academic
blogs, research papers, books etc. The
author has designed this PPT according
to his convenience to deliver the lecture.

42. Thank You