Plate Tectonics Map

Free!

The Plate Tectonics Map from the Earth & Environmental Sciences page from the University of Kentucky offers an animated view of continental drift theory. After loading the website, a map of the world is shown along with a brief commentary explaining plate tectonics. Users can then click the “Maps” button on the top of the page to view a new map of the world, and they can check the Boundaries, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Hotspots, Velocity, and Names boxes to see where those features are located on the map. Users can also click the individual names of those features to read a short explanation of them. Users can also click the different Basemap options to change the map’s color display. Users can then tap the “Motion” button on the top of the screen. In response, the website will load a map of the globe that shows where the continents were located 150 million years ago. They can then adjust the slide scale on the bottom of the screen to advance the timeline and see the continent move in relation to it. Finally, users can tap the “Details” option on the top of the screen to see an animation of volcanism and how it impacts land masses.

Instructional Ideas

1. When beginning a unit on plate tectonics, teachers can have students view this website. To guide their exploration, teachers can ask students guiding questions, such as: (1) Have the continents always been where they are currently located?, (2) What forces affect where continents are located?, and (3) Where do you think the continents will be in the future? (Depending on the age group of students, teachers can increase the rigor of those questions.)
2. After studying plate tectonics and this website, teachers can have students predict where they think the next large amount of volcanic activity will happen, why it will happen there, and what the result will be. Students can explain their predictions in writing, by making an infographic using another piece of edtech, or by sharing their thoughts in small groups.
3. After viewing this website and learning about plate tectonics, teachers can have students identify where they think the safest place in the world to live is and why that place is so safe. When explaining their rationale, students will have to draw from historical trends that influenced their decision as to why the place they picked is, indeed, the safest place to be.
4. Using the “Motion” option in this website, teachers can have students view how and when the different continents shifted over time. Next, teachers can ask students during which period of time did the continents shift the most and why. To respond, students will not only have to look at the different time periods of the shifts but also correlate to where volcanoes are located and their impact on the continents location.
5. For all the key terms listed in this website, students can make a flashcard deck using Quizlet and review those flashcards. Examples of terms to include in their flashcard deck from this website are Plate Boundaries, Convergent, Divergent, Transform, Motion Vectors, Volcanoes, Hotspots, Earthquakes, and Velocity among several others.

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