WELCOME
Grade 11 – Mother of the
Church
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the Grade 11 – Mother of the Church
students will be able to:
describe the continental drift theory;
discuss evidence that support continental drift;
explain how the seafloor spreads;
describe the structure and evolution of ocean basins; and
explain how the movement of plates leads to the formation of
folds, faults, trenches, volcanoes, rift valleys, and mountain
ranges.
CONTINENTAL
DRIFT
THEORY
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
was proposed by Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist;
provides an explanation for the origin of continents and oceans;
theorized that some time in Earth’s history, continents had once
joined together to form the supercontinent called Pangaea.
Gradually, the Pangaea moved into separate continents and
gradually moved into their present positions.
The Pangaea is the mass of land. Panthalassa is the mass of
water.
EVIDENCES
CONTINENTAL FIT
SIMILARITY OF MOUNTAIN RANGES
SIMILARITY OF ROCK SEQUENCES
PALEOCLIMATES EVIDENCE
FOSSIL EVIDENCE
CONTINENTAL
FIT
Opposing coastlines of
continents can fit together like
pieces of jigsaw puzzles
especially between South
America and Africa. This
supports that the continents
were once joined together as
one.
SIMILARITIES OF MOUNTAIN
RANGES
If the continents were at one time joined, then mountain ranges
of the same age adjoining locations on the opposite continents
should match. Examples include the mountain ranges of South
Africa and Argentina.
SIMILARITIES OF
ROCK SEQUENCES
Similar sequences of rocks are found
in Brazil and West Africa and
throughout the continents of the
Southern Hemisphere. A 2-billion-
year old rock in Gabon, West Africa
matches with rocks of the same age
on the other side of Northeast Brazil.
PALEOCLIMATES EVIDENCE
Wegener also presented as
evidence that the glacial
deposits formed about 300
million years ago in India,
Australia, South America
and Southern Africa is
identical to the thick ice
sheets of Antarctica today.
FOSSIL EVIDENCE
Wegener mapped the
locations of fossils of several
species of plants and animals
that could not swim nor fly.
Results show that same
species of plants and animals
are found in present-day
Antarctica, Africa, Australia,
South America, and India. A
good example is the
Mesosaurus.
SEAFLOOR
SPREADING
THEORY
SEAFLOOR SPREADING
was proposed by Harry Hess, a geologist;
suggested that the seafloor was moving outward from the Mid-
Oceanic ridges;
In this theory, the Mid-Oceanic ridge is considered a spreading
center. During subduction, the oceanic crust is pushed underneath a
continental or another oceanic crust. The opening created from the
spreading causes magma to upwell on the ocean floor;
its main mechanism is considered to be the mantle convection
currents; and
the rocks farthest from the ridge are the oldest while those which are
closest are the youngest newly-formed rocks
PLATE
TECTONICS
THEORY
PLATE TECTONICS
was attributed to Alfred Wegener;
involves the two layers of the earth – lithosphere and asthenosphere;
states that the lithosphere is a shell of hard, strong rock of about 100
km thick that floats on the hot, plastic asthenosphere. The earth’s
lithosphere is broken into large or major segments and several small
segments called tectonic plates;
Major plates: North American, South American, Pacific, Nazca,
Eurasian, African, Antarctic, and Indo-Australian;
Minor plates: Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Scotia, Philippine,
Arabian, Juan Fernandez Plates
PLATE TECTONICS
states that the interaction of plates along the plate boundaries
account for the formation of new lithosphere, earthquakes, volcanoes,
and the gradual movement of the continents; and
identifies the THREE MAJOR PLATE BOUNDARIES:
a. Divergent Plate Boundaries
b. Convergent Plate Boundaries
Oceanic-Oceanic Boundaries
Oceanic Continental Boundaries
Continental-Continental Boundaries
c. Transform Plate Boundaries
DIVERGENT
BOUNDARIES
refer to plate boundaries where
plates are moving away from each
other which occurs when the plates
are separating with hopes of
forming new oceanic lithosphere;
can be explained by the
SEAFLOOR SPREADING
THEORY;
usually forms mid-ocean ridges and
young ocean basins
CONVERGENT
BOUNDARIES
refer to locations where lithospheric
plates are moving towards one another.
The collisions around these areas can
produce earthquakes, volcanic activity,
and crustal deformation;
classified as continental-continental,
oceanic-oceanic, and oceanic-
continental
OCEANIC-OCEANIC
BOUNDARIES
this refers to the converging of two
oceanic plates. In this instance, the
oceanic plate with the colder
temperature sinks beneath the oceanic
plate with hotter temperature in a
process called subduction; and
this type of boundary commonly
produces volcanic mountain chains
called volcanic island arcs
OCEANIC-CONTINENTAL
BOUNDARIES
refers to the converging of an
oceanic and a continental plate.
The oceanic plate subducts
beneath the continental plate;
this type of converging boundary
produces volcanoes and trenches.
CONTINENTAL-
CONTINENTAL BOUNDARY
refers to the converging of
two continental plates. No
subduction occurs; hence, the
collision buckles or crumples
the edge of either of the plates.
this type of converging
boundary produces mountain
ranges.
TRANSFORM
BOUNDARIES
occur along transform faults where
plates slide laterally past one another
roughly parallel to the direction of plate
movement;
no lithosphere is created nor destroyed
along a transform boundary but the
movement results of shattered rock and
strong earthquakes. (eg: San Andreas
Fault)
