Determining Plate Boundaries Lab
Volcanos
Volcanoes occur at various locations around
the world. Most of the volcanoes that occur
above sea level are concentrated in an area of
the Pacific Ocean called the Ring of Fire.
Volcanoes erupt when the pressure inside is
greater than the force of the rock pushing
down. Volcanoes can destroy land as well as
create new land.
Procedure:
1. Take notes about Volcanoes in your foldable.
2. Use the coordinates listed in the table to plot the volcanoes. Place a small V on your
paper to represent each set of coordinates.
3. In your foldable, write down the question and answer to the following:
a. What patterns do you observe?
b. Where are most of the volcanoes in the world located?
Mountains
Mountains occur at various locations
around the world. Many mountains
are folded into symmetrical valleys
and mountain peaks. The Alps,
Appalachians, and Ural Mountains all
have this type of folding pattern.
Procedure:
1. Take notes about Mountains in your foldable.
2. Use the coordinates listed in the table to plot the mountains. Place a small M on your
paper to represent each set of coordinates.
3. In your foldable, write down the question and answer to the following:
a. What patterns do you observe?
b. How do you think mountains are formed?
c. Do you think mountain building destroys or creates new land?
Mid-Ocean Ridges
A series of continuous underwater mountains,
called mid-ocean ridges, occur along Earth’s
oceanic crust. Mid-ocean ridges are the
longest mountain systems in the world.
Periodically, the seafloor fractures release
hot magma and poisonous gases. Almost ¾ of
all Earth’s lava flows from mid-ocean ridges.
As the magma cools, it hardens into new crust. Rift valleys occur along the crests of midocean ridges. Sometimes rift valleys occur on land. The African Great Rift Valley occurs
in the southeastern part of Africa.
Procedure:
1. Take notes about Ridges in your foldable.
2. Use the coordinates listed in the table to plot the Ridges. Place a small R on your paper
to represent each set of coordinates.
3. In your foldable, write down the question and answer to the following:
a. What patterns do you observe?
Trenches
Trenches occur in the
ocean along the
continental margins and
along island arcs. As
the denser oceanic
crust collides with
either another oceanic
crust or continental
crust, the oceanic crust
sinks, creating a gap in
the crust called a trench.
Procedure:
1. Take notes about Trenches in your foldable.
2. Use the coordinates listed in the table to plot the Trenches. Place a small T on your
paper to represent each set of coordinates.
3. In your foldable, write down the question and answer to the following:
a. What patterns do you observe?