Overview

In this section you will find materials that support the implementation of EarthComm, Section 3: What Drives the Plates?.

Learning Outcomes

• Plan and carry out an investigation that determines the densities of various liquids and how this affects their position in a column of liquids.
• Plan and carry out an investigation that determines the densities of various rock samples.
• Apply evidence of the effects of density on the position of materials to provide an explanation for Earth’s layered structure.
• Use a model of natural heat flow from within Earth to identify the effects of uneven heating in Earth’s mantle.

Inquiring Further

1. To learn more about the driving forces behind plate tectonics, visit the following web sites:
   
   "What Drives the Plates?" from This Dynamic Earth, USGS
   Reviews the theories behind convection cells as the driving force of plate tectonics and also takes a look as to whether these mechanisms operate now, or in the past, on other planets.
   
   Plate Tectonics: The Mechanism, Museum of Paleontology, University of California at Berkeley
   Describes some of the features of plate tectonics.

Plate Tectonics: Sea Floor Spreading, Scripps Institute of Oceanography
Watch an animation and read the main ideas about the cause of sea floor spreading and its effects.

Resources

To learn more about this topic, visit the following web sites:

Evidence for Earth's Layered Structure

"Earth's Interior and Plate Tectonics" by R. Hamilton, from Views of the Solar System by C. Hamilton, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Reviews the divisions of the Earth's interior, including the percentage of the Earth's mass that each division encompasses, the depth of each division, and their physical properties. Also includes a review of the lithosphere and plate tectonics.

"The Interior of the Earth" by E.C. Roberston, USGS
Information about the make-up of the crust, the mantle, and the core, and how each was "discovered" and studied.

The Flow of Matter and Energy within the Earth

"What Drives the Plates?"  from This Dynamic Earth, USGS
Reviews the theories behind convection cells as the driving force of plate tectonics and also takes a look as to whether these mechanisms operate now, or in the past, on other planets.

Plate Tectonics: The Mechanism, Museum of Paleontology, University of California at Berkeley
Describes some of the major features of plate tectonics; ridges, trenches, island arcs.