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Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics Screenshot Download 4,112 kB
Version: 1.02 (change log)
Explore how plates move on the surface of the earth. Change temperature, composition, and thickness of plates. Discover how to create new mountains, volcanoes, or oceans!

See Below

Teaching Resources

Main Topics

  • Plate Tectonics
  • Crust
  • Lithosphere
  • Mantle
  • Density
  • Buoyancy
  • Earth Science

Sample Learning Goals

  • Describe the differences between oceanic and continental crust, including their respective properties of density, composition, temperature and thickness.
  • Predict how changes in composition and temperature change crust density and buoyancy.
  • Draw a time series for different types of plate boundaries and their motions, indicating the related surface features.
  • Deduce the type of plate boundary given images or descriptions of surface features.
  • Explain which types of plate boundaries create crust, and which destroy crust

Tips for Teachers

The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.

Teaching Ideas

Title Authors Level Type Updated
PhET Plate Tectonics This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. David Moutoux HS Lab 9/27/13
Plate Tectonics This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Karen Mogren HS Lab 3/30/13
Plate Tectonics Inquiry This contribution was designed by PhET. This contribution has received a Gold Star because it is a high quality inquiry-based activity that follows the PhET design guidelines (PDF) and teachers have found it useful. Courtney Fadley, Noah Podolefsky MS Lab 11/30/12

You can submit your own ideas and activities.

Related Simulations

Translated Versions:

Language Language (Translated) Simulation Title
Basque Basque Plaka tektonikoa Run Now
Bosnian Bosnian Tektonske ploče Run Now
Brazilian Portuguese português (Brasil) Placas tectônicas Run Now
Chinese - Simplified 中文 (中国) 板块构造论 Run Now
Chinese - Traditional 中文 (台灣) 板塊構造論 Run Now
Czech čeština Tektonika zemských desek Run Now
Danish Dansk Pladetektonik Run Now
Dutch Nederlands Platentektoniek Run Now
French français tectonique des plaques Run Now
German Deutsch Plattentektonik Run Now
Greek Ελληνικά Τεκτονική πλάκα Run Now
Hebrew עברית תזוזת יבשות Run Now
Hungarian magyar Lemeztektonika Run Now
Italian italiano Tettonica a placche Run Now
Japanese 日本語 プレートテクトニクス Run Now
Korean 한국어 판구조론 Run Now
Kurdish Kurdish پلێته‌ ته‌كتۆنيه‌كان Run Now
Macedonian македонски Тектонски плочи Run Now
Marathi Marathi भूपट्ट विवर्तन Run Now
Persian Persian زمین ساخت ورقه ای Run Now
Polish polski Tektonika płyt Run Now
Serbian Српски Тектонске плоче Run Now
Slovak Slovenčina Tektonické platne Run Now
Spanish español Tectónica de placas Run Now
Spanish (Peru) español (Perú) Placas Tectónicas Run Now
Spanish (Spain) español (España) Placas Tectónicas Run Now
Swedish svenska Plattektonik Run Now
Turkmen Turkmen Plitalaryň tektonikasy Run Now
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt Mảng kiến tạo Run Now

Software Requirements

Windows Macintosh Linux
Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later 		OS 10.5 or later
Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later 		Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later

Credits

Design Team Third-party Libraries Thanks To
  • Heather Houlton (lead designer)
  • Noah Podolefsky (lead designer, interviewer)
  • Jonathan Olson (developer)
  • Kathy Perkins
  • Suzy Loper
  • Kevin Beals
  • Lauren Brodsky
  • Phaela Peck
  • Kat Quigley
  • Emily Moore (interviewer)
  • LWJGL
  • Andrea Bair
  • Trish Loeblein
  • Wireless Generation
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