PART III TECTONIC SYSTEMS: Building the Lithosphere

PARTIII

TECTONIC SYSTEMS: Building the Lithosphere

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Earth’s internal heat energy moves entire continents, lifts mountains, forms volcanoes, and generates powerful earthquakes. Part III explores the role of plate tectonics in building and shaping Earth’s surface.

CHAPTER 11

Earth History, Earth Interior

Earth and the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago. The planet’s hot interior is structured in layers.

CHAPTER 12

DRIFTING CONTINENTS: Plate Tectonics

Earth’s internal heat energy drives the movement of lithospheric plates, creating mountains, valleys, and other features.

CHAPTER 13

Building the Crust with Rocks

Plate tectonics drives the rock cycle that creates and transforms rocks.

CHAPTER 14

GEOHAZARDS: Volcanoes and Earthquakes

Volcanoes and earthquakes shape the crust’s surface and are significant hazards for people.

(Chapter 11: © Sami Sarkis/Photographer’s Choice RF/Getty Images; Chapter 12: © Design Pics Inc./Alamy; Chapter 13: © Mannfred Gottschalk/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images; Chapter 14: © Last Refuge/Robert Harding Picture Library/Age Fotostock Inc.)