Science 10

Science – Grade 10
Quarter 1 – Module 2: Major Lithospheric Plates
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

Writer: John F. Bautista
Editor: Rosalina B. Piamonte
Reviewers: Jefrey Nual (Technical)
Illustrator:
Layout Artist: Mark Kihm G. Lara
Management Team: Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin
OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
Aurelio G. Alfonso EdD
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Victor M. Javeña EdD
Chief, School Governance and Operations Division and
OIC-Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division

Education Program Supervisors

Librada L. Agon EdD (EPP/TLE/TVL/TVE)

Liza A. Alvarez (Science/STEM/SSP)
Bernard R. Balitao (AP/HUMSS)
Joselito E. Calios (English/SPFL/GAS)
Norlyn D. Conde EdD (MAPEH/SPA/SPS/HOPE/A&D/Sports)
Wilma Q. Del Rosario (LRMS/ADM)
Ma. Teresita E. Herrera EdD (Filipino/GAS/Piling Larang)
Perlita M. Ignacio PhD (EsP)
Dulce O. Santos PhD (Kindergarten/MTB-MLE)
Teresita P. Tagulao EdD (Mathematics/ABM)

Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Schools Division of

Pasig City
 Science 10
Quarter 1
Self-Learning Module 2

Major Lithospheric Plates

Introductory Message

For the Facilitator:

Welcome to the Science 10 Self-Learning Module on Major Lithospheric Plates!

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the Science 10 Self-Learning Module on Major Lithospheric Plates!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest - This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS

This module is designed and written to help you master the lesson on the
distribution of earthquake epicenters, active volcanoes, and major mountain belts
and its relationship to Plate Tectonic Theory. It has prepared to provide activities for
reinforcement, strengthening, and enriching knowledge and skills. The skills in this
module cover all the most essential learning competencies in the list issued by the
Department of Education.
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. identify the major lithospheric plates; and
2. determine the scientific basis for dividing the lithospheric plates; and
3. inculcate in the minds the importance of knowing the culture, climatic
patterns and location of the countries which are mostly infected, and those
which are less affected by Corona Virus.

PRETEST

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. What do you call the rigid sections of the lithosphere that move as a unit?
A. Crust B. Fault C. Plates D. Rocks
2. What do you call those types of plates that comprise the bulk of the
continents and the Pacific Ocean has an area greater than 20 million km 2?
A. Plates B. Major plates C. Minor plates D. Microplates
3. An island is formed due to the convergence of two oceanic plates, what
two particular major plates are found along Philippine archipelago?
A. Pacific plate and Eurasian plate
B. Arabian plate and Indo-Australian Plate
C. North American and South American plate
D. Juan de Fuca plate and South American plate
4. In what specific type of tectonic plate, the Philippines is located?
A. Australian plate C. Pacific plate
B. North American plate D. South American plate
5. One of the consequences of moving crustal plates is the occurrence of
earthquakes. Which of the following is a must to perform during an
earthquake?
A. Run as fast as you can. C. Stay inside the cabinet.
B. Duck, cover, and hold. D. Move closer from steep elevations.
 RECAP
In your previous
lesson, you have learned about the characteristics of the lithospheric plates. Can you
still remember them? Let us have some practice exercises to refresh your mind.
Fill in the blanks with the missing words to complete the sentence.
1. ___________________________ is the thickest part of the Earth’s crust, not
located under the ocean.
2. The thinnest part of the Earth’s crust located under the ocean is called
________________________.
3. __________________ are the rigid sections of the lithosphere that move as a unit.
4. Earth’s lithosphere consists of layers, the ____________________ and the upper
mantle.
5. ___________________ is the outer portion of the earth’s layer.

LESSON
According to the plate tectonic model, the entire Earth’s lithosphere is broken
into numerous segments called plates. The Plate Tectonic Theory is a theory stating
that the Earth’s layer is fragmented into either a small or a large plate. But what are
plates? Plates are those rigid sections of the lithosphere that move as a unit.

The lithosphere, the rigid outermost shell of the earth is broken into tectonic
plates. Tectonic plates are pieces of the Earth’s crust and the upper mantle called
the lithosphere. These plates are of two principal types of material: continental crust
(also called sial from silicon and aluminum) and the thinner oceanic crust formerly
known as sima (from silicon and magnesium). The composition of the two types of
crust differs from one another because oceanic crust is mostly made up of basaltic
rocks while continental crust is consisting primarily of granitic rocks. These plates
also vary in sizes and are around 100 km (62mi).
 Tectonic plates are composed of the oceanic lithosphere and the continental
lithosphere. You have learned in the previous lesson about the characteristics of both
the continental and oceanic lithosphere. In this lesson, we will be focusing on the
different plates that make up the earth. Plates can be classified as primary,
secondary, or tertiary depending on how big or small they are.
Figure 1. Map of Plate Boundaries
As shown in Figure 1, plates vary according to their sizes. Some of these plates

are relatively large while some of them are small. These plates are solid rocks that
are continuously moving in the crust of the earth. These plates are also relative with
one another on the outer surface of the earth including the ocean floor.

Tectonic plates are sometimes subdivided into three categories: major or

primary plates, minor or secondary plates, and microplates or tertiary plates. What
are the major plates? Major plates are those types of plates that comprise the bulk
of the continents and the Pacific Ocean. They are considered to be major because
they are the plates with an area greater than 20 million km 2.

MAJOR LITHOSPHERIC OR TECTONIC PLATES

Pacific Plate- This is the largest
tectonic plate covering more than 103
million square kilometers area and is
underneath the Pacific Ocean.
African Plate- This plate covers 61, 300,
000 km2 of the African continent, some
parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea.

Eurasian Plate- This plate is covering

most of the area in Europe and Russia
of about 67, 800, 000 km2.
 South American Plate- This plate covers
some regions of the Atlantic Ocean and
the entire South American continent of
about 43, 600, 000 km2.

Indo-Australian Plate- This contains a

huge part of the Australian continent,
Indian subcontinent, and the
surrounding ocean of the Australian
continents of about 58, 900, 000 km2.

North American Plate- This plate

extends 75, 900, 000 km2 from the
North Pole to Siberia. This plate covers
North America, some portions of the
Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean,
Greenland and the Bering Sea.

Antarctic Plate- This covers the

continents in Antarctica and the
Southern Ocean of about 60, 900, 000
km2.

Table 1. Major Lithospheric Plates

The world is composed of major, minor, and micro tectonic plates. How many
tectonic plates are there? There are handfuls of major plates and dozens of smaller
or minor plates. Tectonic plates are defined as major or minor plates depending on
their size.

Geologists generally agree that the following plates currently exist on the
earth’s surface. There are smaller plates which are often shown on the map. These
smaller plates are called the minor plates or secondary plates. They are the plates
with an area of less than 20 million square kilometers but not greater than 1 million
square kilometers.

Here are some of the minor plates of the world:

MINOR TECTONIC PLATES

The Philippine Sea Plate or the Philippine Plate is a

5, 500, 000 km 2 tectonic plate comprising of
oceanic lithosphere that lies beneath the Philippine
Sea, in the eastern part of the Philippines.
 The Nazca Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate located
in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean.

The Caribbean Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate

underlying in Central America and the Caribbean
Sea. It measures about 15. 600, 000 km2.

The Arabian Plate is a 5, 000, 000 km2 tectonic plate

in the eastern and northern hemisphere and one of
the continental plates that have been moving
northward in recent geological history colliding with
the Eurasian Plate.

The Scotia Plate is a 1, 600, 000 km2 tectonic plate

on the edge of the South Atlantic and the Southern
Ocean.

The Cocos Plate is a 2, 900, 000 km2 young oceanic

plate beneath the Pacific Ocean.

The Juan de Fuca Plate is a 250, 000 km2 tectonic

plate generated from the Juan de Fuca Ridge that is
subducting under the northerly portion of the
western side of the North American Plate.

Table 2. Minor Lithospheric Plates

Microplates or tertiary plates are small, mostly rigid areas of the lithosphere,
located at major plate boundaries but rotating as more or less independent plates.
As shown on the map of plate tectonics, there are seven relatively large plates
and a number of smaller ones, including the Philippine plate. These plates move
slowly but in constant motion, and this movement is called tectonics; thus the theory
of moving lithospheric plates is called plate tectonics.

Tectonic plates are able to move because the earth’s lithosphere has greater
mechanical strength than the underlying asthenosphere. Each plate is slowly moving
to each other, causing geologic events to happen along their boundaries. The
places on Earth where most of the earthquakes originated or some mountains and
volcanoes were formed mark the boundaries of each lithospheric plates. Thus
scientists determine the scientific basis in dividing lithospheric plates such as the
occurrence of an earthquake (seismicity), volcanic eruptions (volcanism), and
mountain formation.

ACTIVITIES

Module No 2: Activity No. 1: Major Lithospheric Plates

Direction: Using the Map of Plate Boundaries, name and color the different
tectonic plates. Write your answer on the table provided below. You can use the
color that you want to color your blank map.

Figure 2. Map of Plate Boundaries

Name of
Tectonic
Plates
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Guide Questions:
1. What is the classification of plates? Describe each.
2. Based on the map of plate boundaries, what are the seven major plates? minor
plates?
3. What major tectonic plates are found along with the Philippines?
Closure:
Based on the activity, what have you learned about the tectonic plates? How
are they being classified?

Module No 2: Activity No. 2: Major Lithospheric Plates

Direction: Arrange the jigsaw puzzle to form the map of tectonic plates and relate
the location of these plates with the location of the continents with the greatest
number of infected cases of Corona Virus. You can find the extra copy of this jigsaw
puzzle uploaded by your Science Teacher on your group page.

Guide Questions:
1. On the map, what do you think are the places that are greatly affected by the
Corona Virus?
2. Why do you think these places are highly affected by the virus?
3. What have you noticed about the location of the continents and countries
concerning the increasing number of infected individuals?

WRAP-UP

To summarize what have you learned, answer the following. Complete the
table below. List down the different tectonic plates in Table 1 based on their
respective categories.
 Tectonic Plates
MAJOR PLATES MINOR PLATES

Table 1. Lists of Major and Minor Lithospheric Plates

VALUING

Module No 2: Activity No. 3: Let’s Value It!

Direction: Using the map of the world below, research and study about the
culture, climatic patterns, and location of the countries which are mostly
infected and those which are less affected by the Corona Virus. Share your
thought on how these factors probably affect the number of COVID-19 cases.
What causes the continuous rise in the number of Coronavirus -19 cases in
this region? As a student, what will you do to avoid the rapid increase of
infected people in Pasig City? As a student, what is your stand about the crisis
that we are facing right now?

Figure 3. Map of the World

 POSTTEST

Read and answer the following questions. Encircle the letter of the best answer.
1. According to Plate Tectonic theory, the Earth’s outermost layer is broken into
large, rigid pieces called what?
A. Faults C. Fractures
B. Focus D. Fractures
2. Major plates are types of plates that comprise the bulk of the continents and
the Pacific Ocean having an area greater than 20 million km 2. Which of the
following is an example of a major plate?
A. Cocos plate C. Caribbean plate
B. Scotia plate D. North American plate
3. The Philippines is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Which minor
plate does it belong to?
A. Nazca plate
B. Australian plate
C. Philippine Sea plate
D. North American plate
4. The Philippines is surrounded by both water and landmasses. What particular
major plates are found along the Philippine Sea Plate?
A. Pacific plate and Eurasian plate
B. North and South American plate
C. Pacific plate and North American plate
D. Indo-Australian plate and Eurasian plate
5. Most of the countries that are located at the edges of the tectonic plates are
prone to earthquakes. Why do we need to identify those areas which are prone
to earthquakes?
A. To have more casualties and deaths.
B. In order to danger the lives of humans and animals.
C. So that necessary precaution will be taken into consideration to prevent
damage.
D. Earthquakes do not result in the loss of thousands of lives and destruction
of infrastructures.
Guide Questions:
1. Major plates are those types of plates that comprises the bulk of the
continents and the Pacific Ocean. They are considered to be major
because they are the plates with an area greater than 20 million km2. The
smaller plates are called the minor plates or secondary plates. They are
the plates with an area less than 20 million square kilometers but not
greater than 1 million square kilometers.
2. Eurasian plate, South American plate, Indo-Australian plate, North
American plate, Pacific plate, Antarctic plate, African plate
3. Eurasian plate and Pacific plate
Generalization:
Answers may vary.
Activity 2
Answers may vary.
Wrap-Up
Major Plates Minor Plates
Eurasian plate Nazca plate
South American plate Caribbean plate
North American plate Arabian plate
Pacific plate Scotia plate
Indo-Australian plate Cocos plate
Pacific plate Juan de Fuca plate
Antarctic plate Philippine Plate
African plate Anatolian plate
Activity 3
Answers may vary.
Post- Assessment
1. D 2. D 3. C 4. A 5. C
KEY TO CORRECTION
10. Arabian plate Cocos plate 5.
9. Anatolian plate South American plate 4.
8. Pacific plate 13. Antarctic plate Nazca plate 3.
7. African plate 12. Philippine Sea plate Eurasian plate 2.
6. Caribbean plate 11. Australian plate North American plate 1.
Activity 1
Crust
5. 4. Crust 3. Plates 2. Oceanic plate 1. Continental plate
Recap
5. B 4. A 3. A 2. B 1. C
Pre-assessment

References
A. Books

Madriaga, et. al. 2017. Science Links 8 Revised Edition. Manila. Rex Book
Store, Inc.
Valdoz, et. al. 2017. Science Links 10 Revised Edition. Manila. Rex Book Store,
Inc.

Evangelista, et. al. 2013. Practical Science for Grade 8. Batangas. United
Eferza. Academic Publication Co.
B. Online and Electronic Sources

Photo of the Nazca Plate. Accessed June 20, 2020.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Plate
Photo of the Juan de Fuca Plate. Accessed June 20, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_Fuca_Plate
Photo of the Caribbean Plate. Accessed June 20, 2020.Juan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Plate
Photo of the Arabian Plate. Accessed June 20, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Plate
Photo of the Philippine Sea Plate. Accessed June 20, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Sea_Plate
Photo of Scotia Plate. Accessed by June 20, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotia_Plate
Photo of Cocos Plate. Accessed June 20, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocos_Plate