LAS Science 10 – Q1 – W6

Republic of the Philippines

10
Department of Education
Region v
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF SORSOGON

SCIENCE
LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET 6

Name of the Student:____________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________

I. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT
Earth’s lithosphere consists of layers, the crust and the upper part of the mantle.
According to Plate Tectonics model, the entire lithosphere of the Earth is broken into
numerous segments called plates.
The Earth’s outer shell, the lithosphere, consisting of the crust and uppermost
mantle, is divided into a patchwork of large tectonic plates that move slowly relatively to
each other. This movement of plates have three distinct types of plate boundaries;
convergent plate boundary, divergent plate boundary and transform-fault boundary.
A boundary which two plates moves toward each other, causing one of the slabs of the
lithosphere to subduct beneath an overriding plate is called convergent plate boundary.
Plates move apart at a divergent plate boundary. This happens in the oceans at mid-
ocean ridges. It happens on land in continental rift zones. Transform Plate Boundaries
are locations where two plates slide past one another. The fracture zone that forms a
transform plate boundary is known as a transform fault. Most transform faults are found
in the ocean basin and connect offsets in the mid-ocean ridges.
Studying plate boundaries is important because along these boundaries
deformation of the lithosphere is happening. These geologic events have a great impact
not only on the environment but also on us.

II. LEARNING SKILLS FROM MELCs

Explain the different processes that occur along the plate boundaries.
S10ES –laj-36.3

Objectives:

1. Identify the different geologic features formed when two lithospheric plates diverge.
2. Determine the results of plates that are moving apart.
3. Identify the geologic events took place along a transform-fault boundary.
4 .Determine the results of plates that sliding horizontally past with each other.

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III. ACTIVITIES

A. Let Us Review
Directions: Identify what is asked or described in each item then write the letter of the
correct answer.
1. Divergent plate boundaries are associated with which types of volcanoes?
A. Lava domes C. Shield volcanoes
B. Cinder cones D. Stratovolcanoes
2. At ________boundaries, the ridges separate and mantle material is __________.
This causes the mantle material to partially melt, creating ___________ magma.
A. Convergent, Compressed, Mafic (basaltic)
B. Divergent, Decompressed, Mafic (basaltic)
C. Transform-Fault Boundary, Decompressed, Intermediate (andesitic)
D. Divergent, Compressed, Intermediate (andesitic)
3. Which of the following describes a divergent boundary?
A. When two plates collide with each other
B. When two plates interact in any way
C. When two plates move apart from each other
D. When two plates slide alongside each other
4. Which of the following associated with transform-fault boundary?
A. Deep-focus earthquake C. Island arcs
B. Rift valleys D. Deep-sea trenches
5. What is the best example of Transform fault boundary?
A. San Andreas fault C. Philippine Plate and Eurasian Plate
B. Reverse fault D. North American Plate and African Plate

B. Let Us Study
DIVERGENT BOUNDARIES

The first way two cars can move relative to each other is in divergent directions,
like passing a car going the other way. Plates also can pull apart from each other. This
is known as a divergent boundary. A divergent boundary is a fault where the two plates
are moving away from each other.

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Rift valleys develop when a continent is broken apart by a divergent boundary.

If a continent happens to be a place where a divergent boundary occurs, then the

continent will begin to be torn apart as the sides of the plates separate, creating a rift
valley. The African Rift Valley in East Africa is an example of this occurrence.
Eventually, the ocean will separate East Africa from the rest, making a large island.
Formation of rift valleys and oceanic ridges are indications that the crust is
spreading or splitting apart. In this case, the plates are forming divergent plate
boundaries wherein they tend to move apart. Most divergent boundaries are situated
along underwater mountain ranges called oceanic ridges. As the plates separate, new
materials from the mantle ooze up to fill the gap. These materials will slowly cool to
produce new ocean floor.
The spreading rate at these ridges may vary from 2 to 20 cm per year. Although
a very slow process, divergence of plates ensures a continuous supply of new materials
from the mantle. The Mid-Atlantic Ocean ridge is an example of spreading center which
causes the divergence of the South American plate and the African plate.

Figure 3. Formation of Mid-Ocean ridge (Diagram by Phillis Newbill)

Department of Education, Bureau of Secondary Education (2015), Grade 10 Science Learners Material, Rex Book Store Inc., 27.

When a spreading center develops within a continent, the crust may break into
several segments. The breaking leads to the formation of down faulted valleys called rift
valleys. It is also associated with the rising of hot materials from the mantle.
The rift valley increases its length and depth as the spreading continues. At this
point, the valley develops into a linear sea, similar to the Red Sea today.

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TRANSFORM PLATE BOUNDARIES

The Earth’s outer crust (the lithosphere) is composed of a series of tectonic

plates that move on a hot flowing mantle layer called the asthenosphere. Heat within the
asthenosphere creates convection currents that cause tectonic plates to move several
centimeters per year relative to each other. When two tectonic plates meet, we get a
“plate boundary.” There are three major types of plate boundaries, each associated with
the formation of a variety of geologic features.

Transform fault boundaries occur where plates are sliding past one another.
They are also called conservative boundaries because crust is neither destroyed nor
created along them. Transform fault boundaries are most common on the seafloor,
where they form oceanic fracture zones. When they occur on land, they produce faults.

Oceanic Fracture Zone

Most transform boundaries lie on the seafloor. These oceanic fracture zones
form large valleys, or trenches that connect spreading oceanic ridges. These features
can extend anywhere from 100 miles to more than 1,000 miles, reaching depths of up to
five miles. The Clarion, Molokai and Pioneer fracture zones, located off the west coast
of California and Mexico, are prime examples. While these zones are currently inactive,
their scars provide a graphic reminder of the power transform boundaries pose to alter
the Earth’s landscape.

Fault Lines
One of the primary landforms that is produced by a transform boundary is a fault.
Typically known as strike-slip faults, they build up pressure when friction prevents them
from sliding until the pressure exceeds the force of the friction and results in an
earthquake.
The most well-known of transform boundaries -- the San Andreas fault --
connects the East Pacific Rise, a divergent zone to the south, with the South Gorda,
Juan de Fuca plate, a smaller, older plate consisting of all three boundary types and

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Explorer Ridge, to the north. Viewed from the air, the fault line is represented by a
linear, shallow trough. From the ground, the fault line can be identified by several
characteristic landforms, including long straight escarpments, narrow ridges and small
ponds formed by settling.

C. Let Us Practice
1. Directions: Read the definitions and label the diagram of the seafloor.

Lower mantle (semi-rigid) – deepest parts of the mantle, just above the core.
Magma – molten rock within the earth’s mantle.
Ocean – large bodies of water sitting atop the ocean’s crust.
Oceanic crust – this parts of the Earth’s crust located under the oceans.
Oceanic ridge – mountain range where Erath’s tectonic plates are gradually moving
apart.
Upper mantle (rigid) – the uppermost part of the mantle, part of the lithosphere.

2. Directions: Follow the procedures below then answer the question.

Materials:
• a modeling clay (at least 2 colors)
• illustration board.
•
PROCEDURES:
1. On a piece of paper, flatten one color of
the modeling clay. Choose other color
and make small three (3) small strands.
2. Place the flattened modeling clay at the center of
the two sand papers.

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3. Put on top of the flattened clay the three small strands.
4. Slide both sand papers on opposite directions (up and down direction). • Observe what
happens to the small strands of modeling clay. 1. What happened to the small strands when
you slide both sand papers in opposite directions?

Question:
1. What happened to the small strands when you slide both sand papers in opposite
directions?

D. Let Us Remember

DIVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARY

Plates move apart at a divergent plate boundary. This happens in the oceans at mid-
ocean ridges. It happens on land in continental rift zones.

Mid-ocean Ridges
In the oceans, plates move apart at mid-ocean ridges. Lava rises upward, erupts, and
cools. Later, more lava erupts and pushes the original seafloor outward. This is seafloor
spreading. Seafloor spreading forms new oceanic crust. The rising magma causes the
ridge to be buoyant. This is why there is a mountain range running through the oceans.
The plates pulling apart cause earthquakes.
Most mid-ocean ridges are located deep below the sea. The island of Iceland sits right
on the Mid-Atlantic ridge.

Continental Rifting
A divergent plate boundary can also occur within a continent. This is called continental
rifting. Magma rises beneath the continent. The crust thins, breaks, and then splits
apart. This first produces a rift valley. The East African Rift is a rift valley. Eastern Africa
is splitting away from the African continent. Eventually, as the continental crust breaks
apart, oceanic crust will form. This is how the Atlantic Ocean formed when Pangaea
broke up.

TRANSFORM PLATE BOUNDARY

Most transform faults are found on the ocean floor. They commonly offset active
spreading ridges, producing zigzag plate margins, and generally defined by shallow
earthquakes.
Transform boundaries represent the borders found in the fractured pieces of the Earth’s
crust where one tectonic plate slides past another to create an earthquake fault zone.
Linear valleys, small ponds, stream beds split in half, deep trenches, and scarps and
ridges often mark the location of a transform boundary. The San Andreas fault, a
transform boundary, extends 750 miles from the Californian-Mexican border through
San Francisco where it runs along the coastline before doglegging out to sea near
Eureka, California.

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E. Let Us Practice More
1. Directions: Explain how the following geologic process occurs. Complete blank
statements in each sentence/paragraph. Choose your answers from the box that follow.

 Rift Valley
Rift valley formation may be slow, but it can be dramatic. It usually starts with a hotspot
below the crust where the _______ builds; the crust ______, and then starts to crumble
_____. Earthquakes, lava flows, and volcanoes are spawned and the tectonic plates are
spread slightly further apart. As the plates spread, a _____ is formed. The area where
the plates are pulling apart is called a _________ boundary. The valley floor is called a
_______ (sometimes used interchangeably with the term rift valley) and the valley sides
are called horsts. Over time, the grabens fill up with water to create a lake or they fill up
with sediments that flatten out the valley floor. The process happens under the ocean
and also on land.
Source: Rift Valley: Definition & Facts. (2015, April 24). Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/rift-valley-definition-facts-quiz.html .

 Mid-Ocean Ridge
Mid-ocean ridges occur along __________ plate boundaries, where _____ocean floor is
created as the Earth’s tectonic plates spread ______. As the plates separate, molten
rock _____ to the seafloor, producing enormous volcanic eruptions of basalt. The speed
of spreading affects the ______ of a ridge – slower spreading rates result in steep,
irregular topography while faster spreading rates produce much _____ profiles and
more gentle slopes.
Source: Mid-Ocean Ridge: Facts. Retrieved from
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/mid-ocean-ridge.html

 Widening Ocean Basin

As the two plates pull apart, normal faults develop on both sides of the rift, and the
central blocks slide downwards. Earthquakes occur as a result of this fracturing and
movement. Early in the rift-forming process, streams and rivers will flow into the
________ rift valley to form a long linear lake. As the rift grows deeper it might drop
below sea level, allowing ocean waters to flow in. This will produce a narrow, shallow
sea within the rift. This ____ can then grow deeper and _____. If rifting continues, a
new ocean basin could be produced.
Source: Hobart King, “Divergent Plate Boundary-Continental,” Geology.com,
https://geology.com/nsta/divergent-plate-boundaries.shtml

2. Directions: Fill the information needed in the concept map. Write your answer on the
space provided.

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F. Evaluation
Directions: Multiple Choices. Identify the choice that best completes the statement or
answers the question.

1. A divergent boundary at two oceanic plates can result in a ____.

A. Rift valley C. Continental volcanic arc
B. Volcanic island arc D. Subduction zone

2. New ocean crust is formed at ____.

A. Divergent boundaries C. Continental volcanic arc
B. Convergent boundaries D. Transform fault boundary

3. Which of the following describes a divergent boundary?

A. When two plates collide with each other
B. When two plates interact in any way
C. When two plates move apart from each other
D. When two plates slide alongside each other

4. What feature forms near divergent boundaries between two pieces of oceanic crust?
A. Mid-ocean ridge C. Non-volcanic mountain
B. Continental rift valley D. Trench

5. Which of the following is NOT an example of a divergent plate boundary?

A. The boundary between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate
B. The boundary between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate
C. The East African Rift
D. The plate boundary that passes over Iceland

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6. In transform fault boundary, plates
A. slide past each other C. collide each other
B. move away from each other D. none of the above

7. The following are the characteristics of transform fault boundaries, EXCEPT.

A. Plates are sliding past each other.
B. Lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed
C. Give rise to several features and events
D. Mostly found in the ocean basin, only few in the continents.

8. What is one geologic activity that happens at transform fault boundary?

A. Folded mountains C. Trenches
B. Earthquakes D. Hurricanes

9 What happens at mid-ocean ridges during transform fault?

A. Two plates come together and crust is destroyed
B. Two plates pull apart and new crust is created
C. Two plates move side by side past each other and no crust is created nor
destroyed.
D. The action at a mid-ocean ridge depends on the location.

10. What is the best example of Transform fault boundary?

A. San Andreas fault
B. Reverse fault
C. Philippine Plate and Eurasian Plate
D. North American Plate and African Plate

IV. RUBRIC FOR SCORING (if necessary)

V. ANSWER KEY

Let us Review Let Us Practice

1. C
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. A

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Let Us Practice More Let Us Practice More
1. 2.
A. Rift Valley
- pressure
- rises
- apart
- valley
- divergent
- graben

B. Mid-Ocean Ridge
- divergent
- new
- apart
- rises
- shape
- wider Evaluation
1. A 6. A
C. Widening Ocean Basin
VI. REFERENCE 2. A 7. B
- sinking 3. C 8. B
- rift 4. A 9. C
- wider 5. A 10. A

V. REFERENCES

 Department of Education (RegionV), Bureau of Secondary Education (2015), Prototype and

Contextualized Daily Lesson Plans in Grade 10 Science Quarter 1, 34.
 Department of Education, Bureau of Secondary Education (2015), Grade 10 Science Learners
Material, Rex Book Store Inc., 26.
 Department of Education, Bureau of Secondary Education (2015), Grade 10 Science Learners
Material, Rex Book Store Inc., 27.
 Department of Education, Bureau of Secondary Education (2015), Grade 10 Science Learners
Material, Rex Book Store Inc., 36-37.
 Earth and Space, Science - Grade 10, “Tectonic Plate Boundaries” updated last June 12, 2016,
https://link.quipper.com/en/organizations/547ffa3dd2b76d0002001fca/curriculum#curriculum
 Earth and Space, Science - Grade 10, “Tectonic Plate Boundaries,” updated last June 12, 2016,
https://link.quipper.com/en/organizations/547ffa3dd2b76d0002001fca/curriculum#curriculum
 Anne E. Egger, Ph.D, “Plate Tectonics-Plates, Plate Boundaries, and Driving Forces,”
https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Earth-Science/6/Plates-Plate-Boundaries-and-
Driving-Forces/66/quiz
 Presentation on Divergent Plates,
https://www.assignmentpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Divergent-Plates.jpg)
 "Plate Boundaries: Convergent, Divergent, and Transform Boundaries." Study.com, 31 January
2013, study.com/academy/lesson/plate-boundaries-convergent-divergent-and-transform-
boundaries.html

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 Divergent and Convergent Plates Activity Seafloor Spreading- Divergent Plates, 4ESS T2_Plate
Tectonics Labeling.pdf, http://manoa.hawaii.edu/sealearning/sites/default/files/4ESS
%20T2_Plate%20Tectonics%20Labeling.pdf
 Rift Valley: Definition & Facts. (2015, April 24). Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/rift-valley-definition-facts-quiz.html.
 Mid-Ocean Ridge: Facts. Retrieved from https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/mid-ocean-
ridge.html
 What features form at plate tectonic boundaries?” retrieved from
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/tectonic-features.html
 Hobart King, “Divergent Plate Boundary-Continental,” Geology.com,
https://geology.com/nsta/divergent-plate-boundaries.shtml
 Tectonic Plates Map Worksheet. Retrieved from
https://www.leonschools.net/cms/lib/FL01903265/Centricity/Domain/6182/
PlateTectonicsWorksheetwithQuestions.pdf
 Dana Desonie, Ph.D, “Divergent Plate Boundaries in the Oceans,” January 05, 2013,
https://www.ck12.org/earth-science/divergent-plate-boundaries-in-the-oceans/lesson/
Divergent-Plate-Boundaries-in-the-Oceans-MS-ES/
 Divergent boundary overview video, www.iris.edu/earthquake, extracted from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSKzdbEVsI8.
 fleaz │ Credit: Getty Images/Stock Photo, Teacher chalkboard clipart Clip Art Library-
Gclipat.com, Information extracted from IPC Photo Metadata.
 Science 10, Learners Material, Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines, pages 29
30
 https://www.livescience.comSanAndreasFault
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/transform-fault
 https://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Learning/Science-Topics/Earthquakes/Earthquakes-at-a-Plate-
Boundary/Tectonic-Plates-and-Plate-Boundaries
 https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/tectonic-features.html
 https://sciencing.com/landforms-formed-transform-boundary-8592956.html
 https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/56c1e3a266b743b17f8de5f7/transform-boundary

Prepared by:

LOWIE A. AVISADO
T – I, DVHS Gimagaan Annex

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