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Dry Lab Earth Science Sem 2 Points Possible: 50

2.1.4 Lab: Modeling a Plate Boundary Name: Karen Fernandez

Date:

If you do not have access to a laboratory, use this dry lab data to complete the lab activity. Make sure

you understand the lab procedure so you can interpret the data provided.

This dry lab accompanies the "Modeling a Plate Boundary Lab" on page 79 of your Prentice Hall Earth

Science Lab Manual.

Pre-Lab Discussion (pp. 79-80)

Answer questions 1 – 5.

Procedure (pp. 80-82)

1. Look at the map on Resource 3 in the DataBank. Examine the convergence of the Pacific tectonic

plate and the North American tectonic plate, south of the Aleutian Arc of volcanic islands in the

northern Pacific Ocean.

2. Look at the diagram on page 80 to help you understand how the edges of the Pacific plate and the

North American plate converge.

3. Look at the Data Table on page 81. This Data Table shows the Depths of Foci and Latitudes of

earthquakes occurring in the Aleutian Islands. These earthquakes all occurred near the 180° W

longitude. Examine the table. Do you see any patterns in the data?

Analysis and Conclusions (pp. 82-84)

Figure 1

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Figure 1 shows a graph of location and depth of earthquakes, based upon the information in the

Data Table on page 81. The line is a line of best fit that comes as close as possible to each of the

data points. Use Figure 1 to answer the following questions.

1. Using Graphs

What is the relationship between the depths of earthquake foci and latitude?

2. Analyzing Data

How does the graph show that the boundary between the Pacific plate and the North American

plate is a convergent boundary?

3. Applying Concepts

The Aleutian trench is located where the two tectonic plates meet at the surface of the

lithosphere. Use the graph above to determine the approximate latitude of the Aleutian trench at

180° W longitude. Explain your answer.

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4. Using Graphs

Calculate the slope of the graph to figure out how quickly the convergent boundary descends as

latitude increases.

5. Calculating

A change in latitude of 1 degree corresponds to an approximate 111 km distance along a north-

south line. Use this information along with your answer to question 4 to determine how far the

convergent boundary descends as it moves 1 km northward. Show all calculations.

6. Using Models

The triangle below shows a side view of the convergent boundary with the correct scale

relationship between the depth and the horizontal distance. The angle at which the subducted

plate descends beneath the upper plate is 52° and is known as the subduction angle.

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7. Calculating

Imagine there is a volcanic island arc on the surface of the lithosphere above the area where the

descending plate has a depth of 100 km. Approximately how far north of this trench are the

islands located? Show all calculations.

8. Evaluating and Revising

Are all of the data points plotted on the graph close to the line of best fit? Provide explanations for

why they are or are not.

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9. Applying Concepts

Is the year in which an earthquake occurred an important variable in this investigation? Why or

why not?

From Prentice Hall Earth Science Lab Manual Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

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