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Plates Are Moving Beneath You
![there are several major plates floating across the surface of the earth](art/earth_tecton1_240.jpg)
They Really Float?
These plates make up the top layer of the Earth called the lithosphere. Directly under that layer is the asthenosphere. It's a flowing area of molten rock. There is constant heat and radiation given off from the center of the Earth. That energy is what constantly heats the rocks and melts them. The tectonic plates are floating on top of the molten rock and moving around the planet. Think of it as ice floating at the top of your soda. When the continents and plates move it's called continental drift.![zone of convergence](art/earth_tecton2.gif)
Scientific Evidence
![zone of divergence](art/earth_tecton3.gif)
Scientists also looked at the fossils (long-dead animal bones and plants) on the different continents. They found that fossils on Australia were similar to the ones in Southern Asia. They think the same plants once lived on the continents, but when they split apart, new plants developed. When they were digging, they also looked at the types of rocks. The West Coast of Africa has very similar rock formations to those on the East Coast of South America. They are too similar to be a coincidence.
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Or search the sites for a specific topic.
- Overview
- Composition
- Magnetic Field
- Structure
- Rock Types
- Tectonics
- Faulting
- Earthquakes
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Fossils and Plate Tectonics (NASA SciFiles Video)
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Useful Reference Materials
Encyclopedia.com (Plate Tectonics):http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/plate_tectonics.aspx
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics
Encyclopædia Britannica:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/463912/plate-tectonics