The Plate Tectonic Theory
After many years of research, scientists are now able to get a much greater understanding of how Earth’s geological features are constantly altered through the process of plate tectonics. The theory of plate tectonics explains the reason behind the features of Earth’s surface, which is now fragmented into dozens of lands constantly changed through tectonic behaviors. This was argued for decades up until Wegener’s developed four major plate-tectonics theories. The geological changes we view today can be accredited to global activities demonstrated through the youth of the ocean floor, plate boundaries, and volcanic eruptions. These phenomenon’s play a significant role in the plate tectonic effects in all fields of geology.
Contributions and methods began through geologist Alfred Wegener who proposed that 250 millions years ago the supercontinent Pangaea existed, but broke apart through continental drift. Researchers were quick to deny but through Wegener’s remarkable discovery of plant and animal fossils found along the coastline of South America and Africa, it resulted as imperative evidence the continents being previously joined.
The convection in the mantle is one of the main driving forces that causes Earth’s core to rise while the cooler mantle rock sinks. This then causes the mid-ocean ridges to pull and sink downward at subduction zones.
Most evident plate tectonic forces are most commonly shown along movement in narrow zones. These movements create a better understanding with relations to earthquake activity. Different plate boundaries are the causes of these geological mechanisms. For instance divergent boundaries occur when plates move apart along spreading centers, causing magma to move up creating new crust as it rises from the mantle. The magma that solidifies underlying the ocean floor becomes a dense, dark rock called