GEOL 121 Name ___________________________________ Lab Section _______________ DISCOVERING PLATE TECTONICS Learning Objectives: ○ Summarize plate tectonics and demonstrate understanding of plate motions ○ Describe the features and processes found at different plate boundaries and explain why they are found there ○ Developing geoscientific skills: analyzing/interpreting data; reading maps; practicing quantitative skills; thinking in 3D ○ Understand that scientific inquiry is an ongoing/dynamic process; role of evidence and technology in inquiry Part 1: Expert analysis (2pts.) Geoscientists from different expertise areas will often collaborate to understand complex problems. We are going to model this approach by having each of you become an expert on one type of data. You will then share your understanding of that data with the rest of the group. Instructions: Your TA will assign you one of the data sets listed below. Work with your expert group to examine your dataset and answer the questions below. Expert Groups (Circle Assigned Topic) Seismology · Volcanology · Geochronology · Geography/Topography 1. What is your data telling you? What do the symbols and colors mean? 2. Compare your data to the Plate Boundary Map on the next page of this worksheet. Note any differences or similarities. 3. How does your data act on or near plate boundaries? (Examples: narrow/straight/curved, symmetric/asymmetric, deep/shallow, active/inactive, ridge/valley, etc)Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 2Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 3 Part 2: Examining Known Plate Boundaries You will now examine sets of maps that show four different boundary types: divergent, transform, convergent with subduction, and convergent without subduction. Answer the following questions for each boundary type. A) Divergent Boundaries (2pts.) There are two pages showing divergent boundaries. One shows the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. The other shows a comparison of mid-ocean ridges that are spreading (creating new ocean crust) at different rates, to give you an idea of how different divergent boundaries can appear. 1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology, Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary. 2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others?Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 4 B) Transform Boundaries (2pts.) There is one page showing a transform boundary along the western side of North America. 1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology, Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary. 2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others?Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 5 C) Convergent Boundary with Subduction (2pts.) There are two pages showing convergent boundaries with subduction: one near Fiji in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, and one along the west coast of South America. 1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology, Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary. 2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others?Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 6 D) Convergent Boundary without Subduction (2pts.) There is one pages showing a convergent boundary where subduction is not taking place in the Himalayan Mountains where India is colliding with Eurasia. 1) Describe how each of the datasets (Seismology, Volcanology, Geochronology, Geography/Topography) behaves at this plate boundary. 2) What are some distinguishing features at this type of plate boundary? What features could you use to distinguish this boundary type from the others? Check in with your TA before proceeding to Part 3.Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 7 Part 3: Unknown Boundaries Now that you have developed a mental model of what each of the datasets does at different plate boundary types, your challenge is to use the data to identify some unknown boundaries. A) Unknown Boundary 1 (2pts.) 1) What type of boundary is there in this map? 2) How do you know? What is your evidence? B) Unknown Boundary 2 (2pts.) 1) What type of boundary is there in this map? 2) How do you know? What is your evidence?Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 8 C) Unknown Boundary 3 (2pts.) 1) What type of boundary is there in this map? 2) How do you know? What is your evidence? D) Unknown Boundary 4 (2pts.) 1) What types of boundaries is there in this map (there is more than one type)? 2) How do you know? What is your evidence?Discovering Plate Tectonics GEOL 121 9 Part 4: Reflection (2pts.) 1) What are three things that you learned from this lab? 2) What questions do you still have about identifying plate