Tectonics and Geomorphology

tekton (Gr): carpenter or builder

Physical composition of
the earth
1.CORE
a. Inner core
b. Outer core
2.MANTLE
a. Lower mantle
b. Upper mantle
3.Crust
Tectonics and Geomorphology
Lets look at upper mantle & crust only
It can be sub-divided into
1. Lithosphere - rigid, solid rx
1. Crust (top part)
2. Uppermost mantle
(bottom part)
2. Asthenosphere - partially
melted or mobile material
Lithosphere "floats" on top
Athenosphere
Tectonics and Geomorphology
Note that asthenosphere is just a small portion of the upper
mantle
Tectonics and Geomorphology
Two major types of Lithosphere
•Continental lithosphere – continental crust
•Oceanic lithosphere – oceanic crust
Since lithosphere is solid, its made up of crusts referred as
lithospheric plates
 
Tectonics and Geomorphology
Remember that asthenosphere is partially melted or mobile
material; therefore
1.Heat convection in the athenosphere causes it to expand &
rise up beneath the lithospheric plates  
2.The rising athenosphere laterally diverges beneath the
lithosphere, causing a tensional drag effect at the base of the
lithosphere plate.
3.The athenosphere drags the lithospheric plate with it laterally
 Tectonics and Geomorphology
Due to the heat convection, the Lithospheric Plates are Mobile

Crust:
1.  Each plate has a separate and Rigid,
Thin
unique plate motion Mantle:
Plastic,
2. The tectonic plates push with Convecting

one another
3. Plates interact with one another
in 3 different ways
 Tectonics & Geom. – divergent plate boundary

 Case 1 - Where plates move away from each other the mantle
partial melts extrudes on to the ocean floor or continental crust

They cool
and solidify
Lithosphere Lithosphere
to form a
Basalt Asthenosphere

This is called divergent plate boundary or constructive plate

boundary
 Tectonics & Geom. – divergent plate boundary

 Characteristics of divergent Plate Boundary

 Stress
New Oceanic Crust
Forming at Mid-Ocean Ridge
 Earthquakes
Fissure
 Volcanism Eruptions
Oceani
 New Rocks asalt c Crust
en s e, B
Dark, D M o vement
Magma
 Features h eri c Plate
p
Lithos Generation

tle r o ck (solid but soft)

of h o t man
Welling up
 Tectonics & Geom. – divergent plate boundary

 Divergent Plate Boundary

 Stress: Tensional  extensional strain

 Volcanism: non-explosive, fissure eruptions, basalt floods

 Earthquakes

 Landforms

 Ridge, rift, fissures Ocean

ic Crust
Magma
 Volcanic landforms Generation
Tectonic Landforms - Ridge, rift, fissures

Mid-Atlantic Ridge
ise

Mid-
East Pacific R

nd I
ian
Rid
ge
SPREADING CENTER – example of EARS
 Tectonic Landforms - Ridge, rift, fissures

Red Sea & East African Rift Valley

Volcanic landforms –
Lengai, Mt Kilimanjaro, Meru  Fig. 19.21
 Fig. 19.22

Oceanic Crust
 Tectonic and geohazards
Rifting of the plates generate shallow earthquakes (<33km) on
oceanic & continental crust
 END OF LECTURE 1, 1000 TO 1200
 MONDAY, 14TH JAN 2013
Tectonics & Geom. – convergent plate boundary

 Where plates move toward each other, oceanic crust and the
underlying lithosphere is subducted beneath the other plate

 Wet crust is partially melted to form granitic magma

 Stress - Compression

 Earthquakes

 Volcanism Oceanic Trench

Plate Movement Volcanic Arc

Lithosphere Lithosphere
Subducted Magma
Examples of landfroms Plate
Generation
Shallow and Deep
Asthenosphere Earthquakes
Tectonics & Geom. – convergent plate boundary

OCEAN – CONTINENTAL
Oceanic-Continental Convergent Boundary
 OCEAN - OCEAN
Continent continent
Tectonics & Geom. – convergent plate boundary

Volcanic landforms
1. Arc-shaped mountain ranges
2. More than 500 active volcanoes and 10,000s of extinct
ones
3. About 2 million km2 of land underlained by 500-3000 m
of mostly flat lava plains or plateaux,
Geohazards -
• Volcanic activity - Explosive, Composite Volcanoes (e.g.,
Mt. St. Helens)
• Strong Earthquakes
Tectonics & Geom. – Geohazards

Cutaway diagram of subduction

zone and an associated stratovolcano
Tectonics & Geom. – Geohazards
The “Ring of Fire” (e.g., current volcanic activity)
A ring of convergent plate boundaries on the Pacific Rim

 62% of all active

n
Aleutia
volcanoes are in the Island
Arc

sls.

sc nge
Fujiyama

e
ad
se I

C Ra
Pacific Rim of Fire;

es.
ane

a
lipin
Jap
Sia

Phil
Pinatubo rra
also many on the mid- Ma
dre

Rise
Ind

cific
on
Atlantic ridge (sea floor es

ins
t Pa
ia

ta
Ea s

Moun
spreading) an
d

Andes
al
Ze
w
Ne
Tectonics & Geom. – Transform plate boundary

Transform Plate Boundaries (Conservative) - 3 Styles

• Line along which two plates slide laterally past the other
• Shearing tectonic forces usually dominate
• Crust is neither created of destroyed at this boundary
1. Oceanic-Oceanic Plate Transform
2. Oceanic-Continental Plate Transform
3. Continental-Continental Plate Transform
Tectonics & Geom. – Transform plate boundary

Significance of plate tectonics for geomorphology:

Vulcanism provide chronological control for determining
1.age of landforms and deposits,
2.rates of erosion or deposition,
3.tectonic displacement,
4.soil formation
Transform Fault Boundary
Plate tectonics & Hydrologic Cycle
Works with Plate-Tectonics to shape the land

 Weathering - clay, silt, sand…

 Erosion

 Transport

 Sedimentation

 Geologic Materials

 Sediments

 Sedimentary Rocks
The Hydrologic Cycle
END
The End