Performance Task 1

Predict what could happen in the future as the tectonic plates continue to move.

Tectonic Plate
theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth’s outer shell—
the lithosphere—that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a
uniform context for understanding mountain-building
processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of
Earth’s surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans.

what could happen in the future as the tectonic plates continue to move

Volcanic Eruption Earthquakes

On land, volcanoes form when one Any sudden shaking of the ground
tectonic plate moves under another. Usually a caused by the passage of seismic waves through
thin, heavy oceanic plate subducts, or moves Earth’s rocks. Earthquakes occur most often
under, a thicker continental plate. When this along geologic faults, narrow zones where rock
happens, the ocean plate sinks into the mantle. masses move in relation to one another. The
When enough magma builds up in the magma major fault lines of the world are located at the
chamber, it forces its way up to the surface and fringes of the huge tectonic plates that make up
erupts, often causing volcanic eruptions. Earth’s crust.

Effects
To Human: Effects
Health concerns after a volcanic eruption To Human:
include infectious disease, respiratory illness, Immediate health impacts include: trauma-
burns, injuries from falls, and vehicle accidents related deaths and injuries from building
related to the slippery, hazy conditions caused collapse; trauma-related deaths and injuries from
by ash. When warnings are heeded, the chances the secondary effects of the earthquake, like
of adverse health effects from a volcanic drowning from tsunamis or burns from fires.
eruption are very low. To the Environment:
To the Environment: Structural damage to buildings, fires, damage to
Further effects are the deterioration of water bridges and highways, initiation of slope
quality, fewer periods of rain, crop damages, and failures, liquefaction, and tsunami.
the destruction of vegetation. 
Performance Task 2: Inquiry-Based Learning

Ocean Basin
Ocean basins, or regions below sea level, make up around 70% of the planet's surface. The bulk of the
world's water is stored in these locations. In fact, remembering that a 'basin' is a huge bowl, similar to your
kitchen sink, will assist you remember this phrase. As a result, an ocean basin is a big bowl that stores ocean
water. The ocean floors of our planet include characteristics that are comparable to those seen on land.
Ocean basins are transitory structures that change shape and depth throughout geologic time when
plate tectonics takes place. The lithosphere, Earth's surface layer, is made up of a series of hard plates that are
constantly moving. The major relief characteristics of the ocean basins are the borders between lithospheric
plates: the crests of oceanic ridges are spreading centers where two plates move apart at a pace of several
centimetres per year.
The ocean basins are substantially lower than sea level, but the continents are around 1 km (0.6 mile)
above sea level. The continental crust is light and thick, but the oceanic crust is dense and thin, which explains
this state. The continental and oceanic crusts both rest on top of the mantle, which is a more homogeneous
layer. Consider a thick piece of styrofoam and a thin piece of wood floating in a tub of water as an analogy. The
styrofoam rises above the water level more than the wood.
Exploration of Ocean Basin
For a variety of reasons, mapping the properties of the ocean basin has proven challenging. First, the
seas are difficult to navigate; second, navigation has been relatively primitive until recently, resulting in only
sporadic correlations between individual observations; and, lastly, the oceans are opaque to light, meaning that
the deep bottom cannot be seen from the ocean surface. Customized research vessels, satellite and electronic
navigation, and advanced acoustic instrumentation have all been made possible by modern technology.
The British Challenger Expedition, which took place between 1872 and 1876, was the first to take a
systematic look at a few of the principal characteristics of the seabed. Scientists on board the HMS Challenger
used wire-line soundings to assess ocean depths and identified the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Dredges carried rocks
and sediments from the bottom to the surface. The greatest advancement in mapping, however, did not come
until the early twentieth century, when sonar was invented. Because sound can be detected over thousands of
kilometers in the ocean, this technology for identifying the presence of items underwater via acoustic echo
presented marine biologists with a very helpful tool (visible light, by comparison, can penetrate only 100 meters
[about 330 feet] or so of water).
Evolution of the ocean basins through plate movements
As plate tectonics continued on Earth, the ocean basins grew and were eaten over most of geologic
time, probably dating back 2 billion years. With the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea, which included
virtually all of today's continents, the latest episode of ocean basin development began slightly over 200 million
years ago. The Pacific Ocean has shrunk at the cost of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, the Tethys Seaway has
opened and closed in tropical latitudes, and the Southern Ocean has opened as the southern continents have
drifted north away from Antarctica.

Reference

Gillaspy, R. (n.d.). Study.com | Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees &
Careers. Study.Com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/ocean-basins-definition-formation-features-
types.html
Luyendyk, B. (n.d.). ocean basin - Evolution of the ocean basins through plate movements. Encyclopedia
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean-basin/Evolution-of-the-ocean-basins-through-
plate-movements
Performance Task 3: Visual Analysis: Age of Earth's Oceanic Crust

Q1. Describe the evolution of the ocean's basins through plate movement.
A1. As plate tectonics continued on Earth, the ocean basins grew and were eaten over most of geologic
time, probably dating back 2 billion years. With the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea, which included
virtually all of today's continents, the latest episode of ocean basin development began slightly over 200 million
years ago. The Pacific Ocean has shrunk at the cost of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, the Tethys Seaway has
opened and closed in tropical latitudes, and the Southern Ocean has opened as the southern continents have
drifted north away from Antarctica. As previously stated, the oldest known oceanic crust (thought to be around
200 million years old) is found east of the Mariana Island arc in the far western equatorial Pacific. At this
location, the Pacific Ocean bottom was formed by seafloor spreading from a system of ridges and plates that
had existed for an unknown amount of time. There were at least five separate seafloor spreading centers
participating in the project. The rifting away of Africa and South America from Gondwana, a supercontinent that
included most of the present-day continents of the Southern Hemisphere, generated the oldest piece of seabed
in the Indian Ocean around 165 to 145 million years ago. Between 60 and 35 million years ago, the seabed in
the western section of the Philippine Sea formed. It was produced 30 million years ago in the east by backarc
spreading. The older crust's origin isn't entirely established. It was either formed by backarc spreading behind
trenches to the south, followed by capture by the development of the Bonin and Mariana arcs, or it was formed
by spreading in the Pacific basin and subsequent capture by the creation of the Bonin and Mariana arcs.
Q2. What can you tell about the ages of the ocean basins?
A2. Over geologic time, the patterns of sedimentation in ocean basins have changed. The sedimentary
record of the extant basins, which are less than 200 million years old, is very varied. Plate movements, as well
as changes in temperature and ocean water circulation, are the main causes of the fluctuations.
Q3. Is there a possibility that all major ocean basins will merge as one? Why?
A3. Yes, there is a possibility that all major ocean basins will merge as one as the tectonic activities
continue through the years.
Performance Task 4: Dynoactivity: A 3D Model of a Rock Stratification

KEY POINTS:
Sediments such as sand and silt were laid down and compressed to form sedimentary rock layer for
over the million years. Records of ancient landscapes, climates, and organisms were preserved. The correct
sequence of sedimentary rock layers using the fossils found within them was often times determined by the
scientists. They figure out and compare if two layers are from the same geologic time period or not.
Learning Insights:
What happens to the succeeding animals based on the sedimentary layers puzzle?
There are animals that extinct in succeeding animals based on the sedimentary puzzle like the
ammonites, ichthyosaurs, pterosaur, dyrosaurs, postosuchus, coelophysis, effigia, seismosaurus and
stegosaurus.
Which period (A, B, C, D, and E) of time went extinct first?
Period B or the oldest layer went extinct first.
How about the last to exist?
Period D is the last to exist.
Ho helpful is the rock stratification to Earth's history and why?
Where layers have been deformed, the record of past movements of the Earth's surface is preserved in
the stratification, making possible the interpretation of geologic events and permitting such practical results as
the location of mineral deposits, petroleum fields, and groundwater reservoirs.