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Internal_forces_of_change

The document discusses internal forces of change that shape the Earth's surface, primarily through plate tectonics. It explains processes such as subduction, accretion, and spreading that lead to the formation of mountains, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. The Ring of Fire is highlighted as a significant area of earthquake and volcanic activity due to the interaction of tectonic plates.

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10 views14 pages

Internal_forces_of_change

The document discusses internal forces of change that shape the Earth's surface, primarily through plate tectonics. It explains processes such as subduction, accretion, and spreading that lead to the formation of mountains, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. The Ring of Fire is highlighted as a significant area of earthquake and volcanic activity due to the interaction of tectonic plates.

Uploaded by

caporoy413
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 2/Lesson 2: Forces of


Change
TOPIC: INTERNAL FORCES OF CHANGE

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.


Learning
Objectives
• Explain how internal forces
shape the Earth's surface

This Photo by Unkown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.


Internal Forces of
Change
• Earth’s surface has changed greatly over
time. Scientists believe that some of these
changes come from forces associated with
plate tectonics.
• One of these forces relates to the movement
of magma within the Earth.
• Others involve movements that can fold, lift,
bend, or break the solid rock at the Earth’s
crust.
Colliding and
Spreading Plates

• Mountains are formed in areas where


the giant plates collide. In some
places, continental plates collide with
each other.
• For example, the Himalaya mountain
ranges in South Asia were thrust
upward when the Indian landmass
drifted against Eurasia. Himalayan
peaks are getting higher as the Indian
Plate continues to move northward
and collide with the Eurasian Plate.
Subduction (colliding)
• Mountains are also created when an oceanic
plate collides with a continental plate.
• The oceanic plate dives beneath the continental
plate in a process called subduction.
• The oceanic plate plunges steeply into the Earth’s
interior, becoming molten material. Then, as
magma, it rises and bursts through the crust to
form volcanic mountains.
• The Andes, a mountain system in South America,
was formed over millions of years as a result of
subduction as the Nazca Plate slides beneath the
South American Plate
Accretion(colliding)
• Pieces of the Earth’s crust come together slowly as the oceanic plate
slides under the continental plate at a shallow angle.
• This movement levels off seamounts—underwater mountains with
steep sides and sharp peaks—and piles up the resulting debris in
trenches.
• This buildup can cause continents to grow outward.
• Most scientists believe that much of western North America
expanded outward into the Pacific Ocean over 200 million years as a
result of accretion.
Spreading

• Oceanic plates can also be pushed apart


in a process known as spreading.
• The resulting rift, or deep crack, allows
magma from within the Earth to well up
between the plates. The magma
hardens to build undersea volcanic
mountains or ridges and some islands.
• This spreading activity occurs down the
middle of the Atlantic Ocean’s floor,
forming the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, pushing
Europe and North America away from
each other.
Folds and
Faults
• Moving plates sometimes
squeeze the Earth’s surface
until it buckles. This activity
forms folds, or bends, in layers
of rock.
• In other cases, plates may
grind or slide past each other,
creating cracks in the Earth’s
crust called faults.
Folds and
Faults

• One famous fault is the


highly visible San Andreas
Fault in California.
Earthquakes and
Volcanoes

• Sudden, violent movements of the


lithosphere along fault lines are known as
earthquakes.
• These shaking activities dramatically
change the surface of the land and the
floor of the ocean.
• During a severe earthquake in Alaska in
1964, a portion of the ground lurched
upward 38 feet (11.6 m).
Ring of Fire

• One of the most earthquake prone


areas on the planet.
• It is a zone of earthquake and
volcanic activity around the
perimeter of the Pacific Ocean.
• Here the plates that cradle the
Pacific meet the plates that hold
the continents surrounding the
Pacific.
• North America, South America,
Asia, and Australia are affected by
their location on the Ring of Fire.
• How are volcanoes formed and
where are they typically
located?

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

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