In the early 1900s, most geologists thought that Earth's appearance, including the arrangement of the continents, had changed little since its formation. This video segment describes the impact the theory of plate tectonics has had on our understanding of Earth's geological history, and provides a brief overview of what is currently known about the Earth's tectonic plates and their motions. The segment ... Full description.

This page provides an overview of the role of plate tectonics in the generation of earthquakes. It provides a map of plate locations and figures that illustrate fault types and tectonic environments (extensional, transform, and compressional). Examples of surface features in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Indonesia, the San Andreas Fault, the Red Sea, the Zagoros Mountains in Iran, and on the planet ... Full description.

Early evidence showing striking similarities between regions on opposite sides of vast oceans suggested that in Earth's distant past what are now separate continents may once have been connected. However, this evidence said nothing about how the continents could have moved to their present positions. This video shows how seafloor spreading creates new oceanic crust and how the crust is destroyed by ... Full description.

In this activity, students will be joining with current geoscientists in becoming a part of the research community that is exploring and revolutionizing the theory of plate tectonics. Through the use of mapping skills and inquiry-based problem solving, students will predict and then analyze the layout of the tectonic plates that form the ocean floors. They will also compare the depth of various regions ... Full description.

This teacher's guide provides directions for building three-dimensional models from foam blocks to demonstrate plate tectonic principles, plate boundary interactions and the geometry and relative motions of faulting of geologic layers. References are included. Full description.

This is the web page for PLATES, a program of research into plate tectonic and geologic reconstructions at the University of Texas at Austin Institute for Geophysics. The page contains links to a brief overview of plate tectonics and plate reconstructions using the PLATES Project's global plate reconstruction model, in addition to movies in the format of powerpoint animations which can be downloaded ... Full description.

This quiz for younger students asks them 10 questions about plate motions, rock types in continental and oceanic crust, crustal formation and mountain building, the supercontinent Pangea, and the theory of continental drift. A link to a page on continental drift provides information to answer the questions. Full description.

This site describes where volcanoes are found in terms of plate tectonics and explains why they occur at those locations. S map shows that volcanoes are located mainly at plate boundaries. Then there are explanations for plate motion, mantle convection, and magma generation. The three types of plate boundaries are listed as divergent, convergent, and transform. There is also information about the ... Full description.

This site contains 25 questions on the topic of plate tectonics, which covers the development of the theory, crustal movements, geologic features associated with tectonics, and plate boundaries (convergent, divergent, transform). This is part of the Principles of Earth Science course at the University of South Dakota. Users submit their answers and are provided immediate verification. Full description.

This activity will enable students to view the breakup of the super-continent Pangaea over the past 190 million years and chart the subsequent movement of land masses, and to better understand plate tectonics. Students are provided with copies of map sheets with frames which are reconstructed maps of the land masses that existed on Earth at a specific time. Beginning with frame 20 and working backwards ... Full description.