|
Standards & Benchmarks |
|
|
|
Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure Plate tectonics accounts for important features of Earth's surface and major geologic events. As a basis for understanding this concept: A. Students know evidence of plate tectonics is derived from the fit of the continents; the location of earthquakes, volcanoes, and midocean ridges; and the distribution of fossils, rock types, and ancient climatic zones. B. Students know Earth is composed of several layers: a cold, brittle lithosphere; a hot, convecting mantle; and a dense, metallic core. C. Students know lithospheric plates the size of continents and oceans move at rates of centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle. D. Students know that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults and that volcanoes and fissures are locations where magma reaches the surface. E. Students know major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions. F. Students know how to explain major features of California geology (including mountains, faults, volcanoes) in terms of plate tectonics. |