INTERNAL LAND FORMING PROCESSING

 These are processes which originate and operate in the interior of the earth and leads to
formation of land forms on the earth surface.
 A tectonic force these are forces which originate and operate within the earth’s interior.
EARTH MOVEMENT
 these are displacements of rocks of the crust caused by tectonic forces
Types of Earth movements

Horizontal/Lateral/Orogenic

 Are movements which operate along horizontal plane of crustal rocks

Effects of horizontal earth movements

 -Causing stretching of crust when the forces are moving away from each other-
Tensional forces
 It may cause shortening of the crustal rocks when the forces move towards each other-
Compressional forces
 It may cause shearing and tearing of crustal rocks, if the upper layer of the rock is
pushed forward by stronger force than the operating along the lower layer
 Shearing may also take place when tectonic forces operate on the earth surface past
each other thereby tearing the rocks.
Vertical/epeirogenic movement

 These movements operate along the earth’s radius from the interior to the surface.
Effects of vertical movements

 It may pull the earth’s crust downwards

 Pushing the earth’s crust upwards
 Shearing of the earth’s crust in a vertical manner.
CAUSES OF EARTH’S MOVEMENT

Magma movement within the earth’s crust

 When magma intrudes into the cracks of the crustal rocks occupying every empty space
thereby displacing rocks in a horizontal/vertical way.
Gravitative pressure

 When magma escapes to the earth’s surface, it leaves voids below the earth’s surface.
 Forces of gravity therefore pulls the rocks inwards to occupy the space left causing
sinking of the land(vertical land movement)
Convectional currents within the mantle.
  Convectional currents move in a circular manner within the earth. As they move they
exert a frictional drag within the crustal rocks making them to move horizontally.
Isostatic adjustments within the mantle.

 When heavy erosion and melting occurs the weight of the continental sial is reduced.
 The eroded materials are deposited on the oceanic sima to sink in the mantle. The
sinking is balanced by the rise of the sial so as to maintain Isostatic
adjustment(equilibrium)
Features resulting from earth’s movements

Horizontal

 This results in tensional and compressional of crustal rocks creating land forms such as
 Rift valley
 Fold mountains
 Faulty blocks
 Escarpments
 Basins
Vertical movements

 Rift valley
 Tilt blocks
 Escarpments
 Raised cliffs
 Raised beaches
 Estuaries
 Rias
THE CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY

 The theory was initiated by a German called Alfred Wegner to explain the theory of the
present continent it stipulates as follows:
 The earth was initially a large land mass called Pangea. It was surrounded by a great sea
called panthelasa.
 Later Pangea broke up into blocks namely Laurasia and Gondwana [Link] blocks
separated by a narrow sea called Tethys.
 Eventually, Laurasia broke and formed the Northern continent e.g. Europe and America
while Gondwana land Australia and Africa.
Evidences of the continental drift theory

 The jig-saw fit of the continental margins e.g. South Africa to the Eastern edges and
South America indicating that the two lands masses were once together.
  Similar past warm temperatures climatic characteristics of the continental margins e.g.
Australia and South Africa indicates that the two land masses were once together.
 The red sea has been has been proved to have been formed as a result of separation as
it show evidence of having undergone lateral displacement
 Cape faults of South Africa resemble those of Argentina thus indicating that the two
places were once together.
 Similar features formed by glaciation found along the continental margins e.g. Southern
Africa and Madagascar shows that the regions were once together.
 Some archaeological features have been founded along opposite continental margins.
 Similar animal species found adjacent continent
 Geological rock palaeomagnetism.
Weakness of the continental drift theory

 It does not explain what caused the Pangea to split.

 Pangaea could not have survived the larger water body that surrounds it that is the sea
of Panthalassa.
PLATE TECTONIC THEORY

 This was an improvement of the continental drift theory.

 It suggested that the earth’s crust is divided into series of semi-rigid block called tectonic
plates.
 The plates are in constant movement either towards each other, away from each other
or past each other
 The movement result in definite boundaries
 convergent /Compressional
 Extensional/Constructive/Divergent
 Conservative /Transform boundary
Plate boundaries

 The three movements lead to the formation of the three plate tectonic boundaries
namely;
Extensional/Constructive/Divergent

 Plates move away from each other creating boundaries (spaces) through which magma
evaporates to the surface. It may also cause volcanicity.
 Various volcanic features are in such boundaries e.g. the mid-Atlantic ocean edge was
formed when the African plate moved away from the Nazca plate.
Compressional/convergent

 The plates moved towards each other leading to the destruction of the edges of the
plates.
  It may cause earthquakes and folding.
 When an oceanic plate meets with the continental plate, they form slide late form
subduction.
Conservative /Transform boundary

 The plate move past each other along transform fault which separates from them.
 The move does not construct or destroy the plate hence the name conservative.
Reasons why it is necessary to study Plate tectonic theory

 It explains the current positioning of crustal rocks by compressional forces.

 It enables as ton understand the creation of structural land forms e.g. fold mountains
 It explains the destruction of structural land forces
 It helps us understand how the earth maintains its boundary
 It explains the cause of the earthquakes and volcanicity