Tectonic Plates
Science · Volcanoes & Earthquakes · conceptual
Understand that Earth's crust is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates that float on hotter, softer rock beneath and move very slowly — a few centimetres per year
What mastery looks like
- Describe Earth's crust as broken into large plates
- Explain that the plates float on hotter, partially melted rock underneath
- State that plates move very slowly, typically a few centimetres per year
Check your understanding
If you showed Tectonic Plates a map of the tectonic plates, could they explain that Earth's surface is cracked into huge pieces that move very slowly — about as fast as their fingernails grow?
Prerequisites
Required first
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