The surface of the Earth is changing all the time. We’re really all just lava surfers, and we’ve been riding the lava waves for a long time. In fact, it’s now possible for scientists to determine how the tectonic plates on the surface of the Earth have moved over time—which is good news for us historians! We can use that scientific information to write the history of the Earth.
Driving Question: Why is plate tectonics important?
- The earth has changed a lot since its early days as a mass of bubbling and burping gases. For starters, it got a whole lot cooler, which allowed a crust to form. However, high temperatures in our Earth’s interior keep our crust floating on a moving and flowing bed of lava. Yes, we’re all lava surfers! We call all of this shifting plate tectonics. But why does it matter? What are the consequences of all this tectonic plate movement?
Word of the Day: Plate Tectonics
- Definition: The idea that the Earth’s crust is broken up into separate plates that are in constant motion.
- This theory explains continental drift as well as the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, and many other features of the planet. Plate tectonics has been a central unifying theory in modern Earth sciences since the 1960s.
Lesson
- Go to Khan Academy and read the article “Why We’re All Lava Surfers.”
- Earthquakes and volcanoes happen as a result of plate movements. This reading draws a connection between these events and the evidence for plate tectonics. As you read, think about why this makes plate tectonics so important.
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- How does the Coronavirus pandemic relate to plate tectonics?
Pangaea was the supercontinent that existed 250 million years ago before the tectonic plates started drifting apart. Create a political cartoon about our current pandemic situation based on the idea of continental drift and plate tectonics. You can find a simple map describing the breakup of Pangaea here. This is your opportunity to use humor and satire to communicate our current situation. After all, continental drift is a whole lot like extreme social distancing. As Taylor Swift might say, those continents are never ever, ever getting back together. Be creative!
