Here are a couple of different Google Earth maps of plate tectonics and its features. Download each of the KMZ files below and open in Google Earth. You should see each one appear in the left-hand 'Places' panel. Explore them and see how plate tectonics shapes the map of the Earth!

1. The USGS plate tectonics map shows all of the major tectonic plate boundaries across the globe, colour-coded by their type (see the key on the left-hand side of the Google Earth image). See how many different convergent, divergent and transform boundaries you can identify. In each case, which direction is each plate moving relative to the other?

2. The second map shows the distribution of earthquakes, active volcanoes, seafloor age and topography/bathymetry. You can click each one on and off in the left-hand 'Places' panel. How do these features correspond to where the plate boundaries are drawn? How does sea floor age change as you move outwards from a divergent plate boundary (mid-ocean ridge)? How do topography and bathymetry relate to oceanic vs. continental crust? Look at Australia as a good example.