PLATE BOUNDARIES AND CALIFORNIA

PLATE BOUNDARIES AND CALIFORNIA

THE BIG IDEA CALIFORNIA IS LOCATED ON A PLATE BOUNDARY, WHERE MAJOR GEOLOGIC EVENTS OCCUR THERE ARE THREE MAIN TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES, WHERE STRESSES CAUSE ROCKS TO DEFORM. MANY OF CALIFORNIA’S LANDFORMS WERE PRODUCED BY PLATE TECTONIC ACTIVITY, WHICH CONTINUES TODAY.

INTERACTIONS AT PLATE BOUNDARIES WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: DESCRIBE TYPES OF STRESS THAT DEFORM ROCK. RELATE GEOLOGIC FEATURES OF EARTH’S SURFACE TO TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES. SO WHAT?! UNDERSTANDING GEOLOGIC EVENTS THAT OCCUR AT PLATE BOUNDARIES CAN SAVE LIVES AND PREVENT DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.

REVIEW VOCABULARY LITHOSPHERIC PLATE: LARGE, BRITTLE PIECES OF EARTH’S OUTER SHELL COMPOSED OF CRUST AND UPPERMOST MANTLE. RIFT VALLEY: LONG, NARROW VALLEY FORMED AS THE HANGING WALL OF A DIVERGENT BOUNDARY SLIPS DOWN. FAULT: FRACTURE IN WHICH ROCKS ON ONE SIDE OF THE FRACTURE MOVE RELATIVE TO ROCKS ON THE OTHER

DIVERGENT P.B.: BOUNDARY FORMED WHERE PLATES MOVE APART TRANSFORM P.B: BOUNDARY FORMED WHEN TWO PLATES MOVE SIDEWAYS PAST EACH OTHER. CONVERGENT P.B.: BOUNDARY FORMED WHEN TWO PLATES MOVE TOWARD EACH OTHER. FRACTURE: BREAK OR CRACK IN ROCK CONTINENTAL RIFTING:

3 TYPES OF CONVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES Ocean to Ocean Colder, denser slab is forced down, forming a trench; water is released and melts rocks, Ocean to Continent Denser ocean plate always sinks below continental plate; melting forms a string of volcanoes along Continent to Continent Compressio n forces crust to rise, forming tall mountains.

DRIFTING CONTINENTS TENSI ON ROCKS ARE PULLED APART CAUSES STRETCHING AND THINNING OF THE LITHOSPHERE . Types of Rock COMPRESSI Stress ON ROCKS ARE PUSHED TOGETHER MAKES ROCK LAYER THICK. SHEER Rocks are pushed in opposite directions neither thickens nor thins lithosphere

INCINED: SLOPING, SLANTING, OR LEANING RELATIVE TO THE HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL The Leaning Tower of Pisa inclines about 3.99 degrees. In other words, the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 12 ft 10 in from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical.

MANY OF CALIFORNIA’S LANDFORMS WERE PLATE BOUNDARIES AND CALIFORNIA PRODUCED BY PLATE TECTONIC ACTIVITY, WHICH CONTINUES TODAY. THIS PLATE TECTONIC ACTIVITY AFFECTS US IN NEVADA AND AT MCQUEEN WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: DESCRIBE CALIFORNIA’S CURRENT PLATE TECTONIC SETTING AND HOW PLATE MOVEMENTS HAVE PRODUCED LANDFORMS. PREDICT FUTURE CHANGES IN CALIFORNIA’S TECTONIC SETTING AND TOPOGRAPHY. SO WHAT?! INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE AND THE PACIFIC PLATE PRODUCE CALIFORNIA’S

SAN ANDREAS FAULT: PROCESS THE S.A.F. IS A TRANSFORM THAT VOCABULARY BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE N.A. PLATE AND THE PACIFIC PLATE. IT MOVES EXTENDS ALL THE WAY FROM EARTH’S CAPE MENDOCINO IN THE NORTH SURFACE TO TO THE SALTON SEA IN THE SOUTH. A HIGHER ELEVATION

PLATE TECTONICS IN CALIFORNIA ADJACENT: NEXT TO OR VERY NEAR *THE SAF IS A BOUNDARY BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT PLATES THERE ARE 2 IMPORTANT PLATE BOUNDARIES IN CALIF. 1. SAF SYSTEM IS A CONTINENTAL TRANSFORM BOUNDARY CUTTING ACROSS THE STATE 2. THERE IS AN OFFSHORE CONVERGENT BOUNDARY IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE

THE CALIFORNIA BOUNDARIES CREATE EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANOES & MOUNTAINS

CALIFORNIA’S & NEVADA’S MOUNTAINS THE FOLLOWING INCUDES INFORMATION ON THE MOUNTAINS IN CALIFORNIA AND ALSO NEVADA SUBDUCTION: GRANITE ROCKS FORMED UNDER VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS WHEN PLATES CONVERGED AN ANCIENT OCEANIC PLATE SUBDUCTED, FORMING ROCKS IN SEVERAL MOUNTAIN RANGES INCLUDING THE SIERRA NEVADA TENSION STRESSES CAUSED CONTINENTAL RIFTING & THE PANAMINT RANGE ROSE

FUTURE PLATE MOVEMENTS THE PACIFIC PLATE WILL KEEP MOVING NORTHWEST, BRINGING LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO CLOSER TOGETHER DEATH VALLEY AND THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA ARE DROPPING AND OPENING UP AS A RESULT OF TENSION STRESS ALL DUE TO PLATE TECTONICS!!