Question

Tell what real-life event happened and where. Fully explain how/why your event occurred. Be specific about the location.

This event happened because of tectonic plate movement. Describe the boundary type at which the event occurs and how the plates are moving. Use vocabulary from the lesson: convergent, divergent, or transform boundaries.

Explain that plates move due to convection currents in the mantel. Fully explain what a convection current is, describe the motion, and why it moves as it does.

Answer 1

The real-life event that happened due to tectonic plate movement is the eruption of Mount St. Helens in the United States. This volcanic event occurred at a convergent plate boundary. Convection currents in the mantle drive the movement of tectonic plates.

Step-by-step explanation:

The real-life event that happened due to tectonic plate movement is the eruption of Mount St. Helens in the United States. This volcanic event occurred at a convergent plate boundary. The Juan de Fuca plate, a small oceanic plate, is being subducted underneath the North American plate.

A convergent plate boundary occurs when two plates collide, and in this case, it is the oceanic Juan de Fuca plate colliding with the continental North American plate. The two plates are moving towards each other, resulting in compression and folding of the Earth's crust. The subduction of the denser oceanic plate beneath the continental plate leads to the formation of a volcanic arc, which includes the Cascade Range where Mount St. Helens is located.

Convection currents in the mantle drive the movement of tectonic plates. A convection current is the circular motion of material due to differences in temperature and density. In the mantle, heat from the core causes the material to become less dense and rise towards the surface, creating an upward motion. As the material cools near the surface, it becomes denser and sinks back down, creating a downward motion. This continuous cycle of rising and sinking material generates convection currents that drag the tectonic plates with them, causing them to move.

Answer 2

One real-life event that happened due to tectonic plate movement was the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This event occurred on March 11, 2011, and was a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean.

The boundary type at which this event occurred was a convergent boundary, where the Pacific Plate is subducting beneath the North American Plate. The plates were moving in a converging motion, where the Pacific Plate was moving towards the North American Plate.

The reason for this movement is due to convection currents in the mantle. The mantle is a layer of the Earth between the crust and the core, and it is made up of hot, molten rock. These convection currents are caused by the heat from the core and the mantle, which causes the molten rock to rise and cool, then sink back down towards the core. This motion causes the tectonic plates to move, as they are riding on top of the mantle.

The convection currents move in a circular motion, where the hot molten rock rises, cools, and then sinks back down towards the core. This motion is caused by the difference in temperature between the core and the mantle, as well as the radioactive decay of elements in the mantle. As the plates move, they can interact at the boundaries, causing earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountains.

In summary, the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan was caused by the movement of tectonic plates at a convergent boundary, where the Pacific Plate was subducting beneath the North American Plate. This movement is caused by convection currents in the mantle, which are driven by the heat from the core and the mantle. The convection currents move in a circular motion, causing the tectonic plates to move and interact at the boundaries.

I hope this helped!