Plate tectonics is a relatively new theory that has revolutionized the way geologists think about the Earth. According to the theory, the surface of the Earth is broken into large plates. The size and position of these plates change over time. The edges of these plates, where they move against each other, are sites of intense geologic activity, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building. Plate tectonics is a combination of two earlier ideas, continental drift and sea-floor spreading. So the following course enable students to understand about plates movements and sea floor spreading. This course will develop knowledge of the Earth as a four-dimensional dynamic system. The megascopic structure of the earth - oceanic and continental crust and lithosphere, and the asthenosphere, will be introduced and compared. The concepts of rifting and ocean formation will be examined, as will those of subduction and mantle plumes. The students will examine evidence and constraints on interpretation of these processes operating in past geological eras: the Palaeozoic, Proterozoic and Archaean. Emphasis will be placed upon understanding examples from the tectonic evolution of the Indian Plate and features associated with Pakistan.

Contents

1. Internal structure of the Earth

2. Plate Tectonics

3. Sea floor spreading

4. Continental drift theory

5. Geological evidences of drifting theory

6. Various types of plate boundaries

7. Features related to plate boundaries

8. Processes of orogenesis

9. Different rock suits associated with plate margins

10. Triple junctions, Hot spots, Super Plumes

11. Different methods of relative plate motion calculation

12. Present day magmatism in relation to plate tectonics

13. A brief description of plate boundaries and related features in Pakistan

Recommended Texts

1. Kazmi, A. H., & Jan, M. Q. (1997). Geology and tectonics of Pakistan. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

2. Kearey, P., Klepeis, K. A., & Vine, F. J. (2009). Global tectonics. New York: John Wiley & Sons.