Plate tectonics animations
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These animations were originally produced for the US Geological Survey video Secrets in Stone. They have been converted to animated gifs for web display. You may use these animations for any educational purpose, we simply request that you cite the US Geological Survey as their source.
Click here to go to the geology potpourri animation page.
Click here to go to the oil and gas animation page.
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PLATES_3.MPG - Click on image to see animation (3.2 MB)
Plate motions from 600 million years ago to today
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06.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with world map, 2) plate boundaries appear, 3) plates distinguished by color shades.
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47.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Ship moves across view, towing magnetometer, 2) magnetic stripes the magnetometer 'sees' then appear superimposed on ocean floor.
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14.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with view of Earth with continents in their present positions, 2) continents move back in time to reunite as Pangaea, 3) Pangaea label appears, 4) Locations of stratigraphic and fossil evidence that Wegener used to argue in favor of continental drift is added.
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08.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with globe showing Pangaea united, 2) continents move apart to present positions. No labels.
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32.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with globe showing topography of continents and ocean basins, 2) red dots appear on Hawaii, Aleutians, Rio Grand Rift?, California.
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15.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) This animation begins where 14.gif leaves off. Begins with globe showing Pangaea reunited and shows locations of stratigraphic and fossil evidence that Wegener used to argue in favor of continental drift, 2) then continents break up and move to their present positions, carrying the evidence with them.
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48.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with close-up showing mid-ocean ridge topography with magma chamber below, 2) magma rises and new ocean plate spreads away from ridge.
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49.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with close-up of mid-ocean ridge showing normal and reverse stripes, 2) magma rises, and stripes move away from ridge. Good companion for ridge topography version.
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49a.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with close-up of mid-ocean ridge with topography, 2) normal and reverse magnetic stripes appear, 3) arrows appear showing which stripes are normal, then arrows show which stripes are reversed.
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51.gif - Click on image to see animation
Blue field with strip of mag stripes, then another strip appears that shows how this correlates with time before the present.
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55.gif - Click on image to see animation
Same as 48.gif except has stripes moving away from ridge beneath surface topography.
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58.gif - Click on image to see animation
1) Begins with map of world topography and oceans with plate boundaries, 2) arrows representing plate vectors appear.
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