YEAR 9 PLATE TECTONICS OBJECTIVES

WA 8.1 SU

The theory of plate tectonics

explains global patterns of
geological activity and continental
movement.

Assumed knowledge from Year 8

Know the difference between magma and lava.

Describe the formation of extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks.

Moving Continents (10.1)

Explain the theory and describe the evidence for continental drift as proposed by
Wegener (continental margin fit and similar fossils).

Describe the evidence for Hesss theory of seafloor spreading (magnetic striping, age
of the sea floor, dating of rocks, sediment thickness).

Understand that new ocean floor is continuously being made at Ocean Ridges and
destroyed at Ocean Trenches.

Know that the Earth has a layered internal

structure and that the thin solid outer layer
(lithosphere) floats on top of a denser plastic layer
(asthenosphere).

Describe the nature of convection currents and

explain how they move the ocean crust. (both
dragging and gravity theories).

Plate Movements (10.2)

 Compare and contrast continental and oceanic crust.

Know that the Lithosphere is divided into a number of plates.

Describe the three types of plate movement (diverging, converging, transform).

Describe and explain the main geological features of diverging boundaries (Ocean
Ridges), converging boundaries (Subduction Zones) and transform boundaries.

Know examples of where the different types of plate boundaries occur (e.g. Mid-
Atlantic Ridge, Indonesia, San Andreas).

Volcanoes & Earthquakes (10.3)

Know how volcanoes form and the types of materials that are produced from them
(lava, ash, gases, volcanic bombs).

Explain why many volcanic eruptions are explosive.

Explain why volcanoes occur at plate boundaries (hot spots at ridges and frictional
heating at subduction zones).

Explain the cause of earthquakes and use the relevant terminology (fault,
focus, epicentre) to describe them.

Know that most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries and that their distribution
provides evidence for plate tectonics.

Describe how earthquake waves are detected using a seismometer.

Be aware that there are three types of earthquake waves and be able to perform
simple analysis of these from provided data.

Find the epicentre of an earthquake using simple earthquake wave data.

Describe how the destructive effect of an earthquake is measured using the Richter
Scale.

Describe the general trend and time line for the break-up of the continents from
Pangaea to the present with respect to the position of modern day Australia.
 DEFINE THE TERMS BELOW IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS TOPIC

Asthenosphere Continental drift Magnetic striping

Pangea Laurasia Gondwana

Ocean trench Plate tectonics Seafloor spreading

Subduction Continental Crust Converging boundary

Diverging boundary GPS ground station Island arc

Oceanic crust Subduction Transform boundary

Rifting Seismograph Seismometer

Earthquake Epicentre Focus

Hot spots Lava Magma

Tsunami Volcano Primary wave

Secondary wave Surface waves Seismic wave

Richter scale