...Plate Tectonics Theory Gaining Credence The theory of Plate Tectonics is a surprisingly recent discovery. The first driving force was in 1915 when Alfred Wegener published his book The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Wegener proposed the idea that the earth’s continent had once been a single super-continent, which he named Pangaea. Wegener explained how many things on earth were interconnected and Pangaea could be the solution for many scientific queries at the time. Many colleagues in the geologic field were skeptical of Wegener’s proposal because he couldn’t explain why the plates moved. It wasn’t until the 1960’s when enough data was collected on projects such as Bathymetry and the Phenomenon of Polar Wander, that a majority of scientists accepted Plate Tectonics. The theory of Plate Tectonics is best described in layers. On top we have the least dense particles such as nitrogen and oxygen gas that make up our atmosphere. As we look deeper into the earth, data shows that denser elements and molecules are pulled into the center and less dense objects ejected due to mass. The core of our earth is made mostly of nickel and iron. The plates that move on the earth’s surface are dominantly solid objects that consist of our earth’s crust and the upper mantle. This is called the lithosphere. The upper part of the lithosphere, the crust, can be separated into two types, continental and oceanic. Continental crust is much thicker than the oceanic crust. This means the lithosphere...
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...Effects of the Motions of Tectonic Plates Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 This diagram was similar to one Alfred Wegener drew to show the distribution of continents 300 million years ago. His theory of continental drift was met with skepticism in the scientific community. [pic] 1. Describe three forms of evidence Wegener used to support his ideas of continental drift. Wegener used landorms, climate, and fossils to support his theory of continental drift. He said that when it came to landforms all the continents seemed to fit like a “jigsaw puzzle”. Even went as as far to say the mountain ranges seemed to line up as well. Wegener said that the same fossils and rock from one continent would end up on a different continent. For instance a fossil found in Africa would also be found in South America. When it came to climate, Wegener said that some fossils did not match the climate. For instance, there a glacier scratches in South Africa. 2. Years later, the continental drift theory reemerged as plate tectonic theory, with two additional pieces of evidence. [pic] [pic] Refer to the images above. Discuss in detail the two pieces of additional evidence that supported Wegener’s theory, now known as the theory of plate tectonics. The first image shows the...
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...a common subject to anyone outside of a scientific or marine biology lab. The purpose of this paper is to identify plate boundaries. Compare and contrast ideas behind plate tectonics and the theory of the continental drift. There are many types of plate boundaries. Each one is unique in its own way. Below three of the primary types are described in detail. There are several natural events that occur as a direct result of plate boundary interaction. To properly understand the what and how of plate boundaries one must first know what they are. According to Annenberg Foundation (2014), “The border between two tectonic plates is called a boundary. All the tectonic plates are constantly moving — very slowly — around the planet, but in many different directions. Some are moving toward each other, some are moving apart, and some are sliding past each other” (para. 3). Divergent, convergent, and transform are the three primary types of plates. According to "Plate Tectonics" (2010) “A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, lava spews from long fissures and geysers spurt superheated water. Frequent earthquakes strike along the rift. Beneath the rift, magma—molten rock—rises from the mantle” (divergent boundary). According to "Plate Tectonics" (2010), “When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary. The impact of the...
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...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...
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...Exploring Taiwan---Taiwan Is Alive How does it feel like to live on a floating plate, unaware of probable earthquakes and tectonic movements? I understood how it feels like because I live in Taiwan! After an introduction to the geology of Taiwan, I found Taiwan a really active and dynamic island. This reminded me of an article I read on New York Times years ago; it titled: Taiwan Moves Closer to Mainland, Pulled by Forces That Molded Its Mountains. In the article, there were a research team built by three groups of geologists from three countries—Taiwan, United States of America and Japan. In order to learn the process of mountain building on Taiwan islands, they used seismic monitoring device and computer graphing to track the movement of tectonic plates. Such research found one of the facts that Taiwan is actually moving closer to Mainland China! Not to mention that Taiwan is growing taller and taller where our mountains has been rising above sea levels since 60 million years ago. I cannot help but wonder if Taiwan Island would join the Eurasia millions years after! Despite my fantasy of walking across Taiwan Strait to Eurasia many years after, it is amazing to learn that there are actually “underground” forces pushing and pulling Taiwan islands by millimeters every second. The most apparent connection between these forces and our lives on the island is earthquakes and volcanic activity. First, through my life until now, I have experienced at least thousand times of...
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...From the tallest mountains, all the way to the deepest ocean trenches, plate tectonics explains all the features & movements of earther’s surfaces in both the past & present. Plate tectonics, the theory that earth’s external shell is separated into numerous plates which glide over the rocky internal layer of the core called the mantle. The plates act like a rigid & hard shell compared to earth’s mantle. The lithosphere is what the strong outer layer is referred to as. Developed between the 1950s all the way through to the 1970s, plate tectonics is the up-to-date version of the theory first proposed in 1912 by the scientist Alfred Wegener, called continental drift. Alfred Wegener couldn’t explain how the continents move around the plant but...
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...Continental drift, seafloor spreading and plate tectonics have many similarities. They also have many differences. Sea floor spreading is when new molten material comes up through the mantle onto the ocean floor. Continental drift is when the continents break apart and move. Plate tectonics is what the continents and ocean are on and moving on. Continental drift, seafloor spreading and plate tectonics are all related. Continental drift, seafloor spreading and plate tectonics are all similar in many ways.They all have many processes and in them. Seafloor spreading and continental drift are two of the major processes in plate tectonics. They also deal with moving on the plates.They also are all part of the lithosphere and mantle. The plates...
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...1 Land Feature Paper Sharon Green GLG/150 Rosemary Morrison December 21, 2015 2 The Theory of Plate Tectonics Plate tectonics is the theory that the outer rigid layer of the earth the (lithosphere) is divided into a couple of dozen "plates" that move around across the earth's surface relative to each other. The reason they are able to move is that the molten interior of the earth slowly rises toward the surface. As this hot viscous substance rises it moves the plates like pieces of a puzzle across the globe. Much like an escalator today the heated almost plastic like rock rises to the top then sinks back below to become super-heated again. These areas are known as subduction zones and are extremely geologically active. Good! Factors That Influence Earthquakes and Volcanos in the Region New England is not normally thought of as a highly geologically active area. There are no current or dormant volcanoes nor is there an active plate. However the same forces that have shaped some of the most active places on earth today also worked millions of years ago here in New England. In order to understand this region and why there are earthquakes where there is no continental plate we have to look back a few million years. I love that you choose this area The Main Movement The gentle mountains and rolling hills predominate in the New England area are not the dynamic active landscapes of Yellowstone; however Weston Observatory at Boston College explains how...
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...Gaby Striano 705 Science 5 March, 2017 Geology There are huge slabs of rock that fit together like a puzzle underneath the surface humans walk on every day. Those rocks are called tectonic plates, and about fifty years ago, scientists came to the conclusion that they move. Tectonic plates affect the Earth’s landscape drastically. Plates can change the Earth’s landscape by creating geographical features, causing natural phenomena such as earthquakes, and causing the drifting continents. Tectonic plates are located in between the upper mantle and crust, which are layers of the Earth. “The motion of tectonic plates is the biggest force reshaping Earth’s surface” (Land, 12). Since the plates are the biggest force, the assumption that...
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...History of Rocks As explained in Visualizing Geology, rocks are the words that tell the story of Earth’s long history and minerals are the letters that form the words. While this report will not be discussing minerals, it will introduce the history of rocks and how they are affected by plate tectonics. The focus of this report is on two of the three types of rocks, igneous and metamorphic rocks. Plate tectonics plays a key role in the life of these types of rocks. So let’s get started by first explaining igneous rocks. Next metamorphic rocks will be explained. Lastly, plate tectonics and the affect this theory has on both types of rock. Igneous rocks are rocks that form from magma that has been cooled and solidified. Igneous rocks have a structure that is made up of crystals. Igneous rocks are placed into to categories. As stated before, rocks are created by minerals. The process of a liquid forming into a solid is known as crystallization. The first category is extrusive or volcanic. These rocks are cooled on the top of the Earth’s surface. Extrusive rocks have microscopic crystals because it cools relatively quickly and the crystals do not have a chance to become as large as they could be. Extrusive rocks are formed by lava cooling. The second category is intrusive or plutonic. These rocks are cooled below the Earth’s surface. Intrusive rock is formed by the cooling of magma. Intrusive rocks have crystals that can be seen with the naked eye because the cooling process is relatively...
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...“Volcanic and seismic events are major pieces of evidence towards proving the plate tectonics theory is valid” Discuss the extent you agree with this statement. Plate tectonics is the theory used to explain the structures of the earth’s crust. Direct and indirect evidence can show us what is beneath our feet, or the composition of the crust. Volcanoes and earthquakes are both natural hazards, however are two of the most precise pieces of evidence to explain what is really happening up to 6371 kilometres away. In 1915, Alfred Wegener set out evidence for Continental drift using studies of continents fitting and glacial deposits samples. He discovered a large scale horizontal movement of continents in geological time. Rock types was one piece of evidence when discovering continental drift. The age, discovered by radiometric dating of rocks and distinct characters were both seen on two separate pieces of land. Other evidence such as Fossils from a fresh water Dinosaur, known as the Mesosauraus, is found on South America and Africa, there is no way this dinosaur could have swam across the Atlantic to populate on both lands. Although there was plenty of evidence for Continental drift, there was no reason of why the continents would be driven apart and together. This was until 50 years later, when geologist Harry Hess proposed his hypothesis on Seafloor spreading. He predicted that basaltic magma from the mantle rises to create new ocean floor at the Mid-Ocean Ridges. Seafloor...
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...The Development Theory of Plate Tectonics * Introduction In this report I will be describing the theory of the Plate tectonics and showing its main points of development. There are matches between the shapes of South America and Africa. The two continents look like pieces of a jigsaw. Alfred Wegner thought that this meant that the continents where moving. They had once been joined together. He looked for evidence which was recorded in their rocks. In 1912 Wegner presented the idea of continental drift and his supporting evidence to a meeting of the Geological Society of Frankfurt. Geologists around the world read the English Translation of his book the Origin of Continents and Oceans which was published in 1922. He found interesting evidence from mountain chains, rocks and fossils on different continents. However most geologists reject such a grand and unlikely explanation of these explanations. Wegner Claimed: Fossil plants from both Africa and South America were identical. Reptile fossils matched too. People claimed he couldn’t just draw conclusions from a few fossils. They thought that there could once have been a land bridge joining Africa and South America. Wegner disagreed with the idea and asked for the evidence of there being a land bridge. The rock types on each continent fit like pictures on a jigsaw. The continents were once joined together. He claimed continents moved slowly. However one of the key principles of geology was to ‘use the present to interpret...
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...Plate tectonics (from the Late Latin tectonicus, from the Greek: τεκτονικός "pertaining to building")[1] is a scientific theory that describes the large-scale motion of Earth's lithosphere. This theoretical model builds on the concept of continental drift which was developed during the first few decades of the 20th century. The geoscientific community accepted the theory after the concepts of seafloor spreading were later developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The lithosphere, which is the rigid outermost shell of a planet (on Earth, the crust and upper mantle), is broken up into tectonic plates. On Earth, there are seven or eight major plates (depending on how they are defined) and many minor plates. Where plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of boundary; convergent, divergent, or transform. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along these plate boundaries. The lateral relative movement of the plates typically varies from zero to 100 mm annually.[2] Tectonic plates are composed of oceanic lithosphere and thicker continental lithosphere, each topped by its own kind of crust. Along convergent boundaries, subduction carries plates into the mantle; the material lost is roughly balanced by the formation of new (oceanic) crust along divergent margins by seafloor spreading. In this way, the total surface of the globe remains the same. This prediction of plate tectonics is also referred to as the conveyor...
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...rivers, hills, volcanoes, valleys, desserts, waterfalls, caves and cliffs. This chapter looks at the formation of some major types of landforms. Mountains A mountain is a raised part of the Earth's surface. Mountains can be formed in different ways that involve internal (inside) or external (outside) natural forces. The movement of tectonic plates is called plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is an internal natural force because it happens inside the Earth. When tectonic plates collide, they raise the Earth's crust. As mentioned before, tectonic plates move very slowly, so it takes many millions of years to build a mountain. Mountains can also be formed by external natural forces like rain, wind and frost in the process of erosion. Mountains with shapes that are sharp and jagged are called young mountains. Mountains that have a smoother, more rounded look are called old mountains. The South American mountain range, the Andes, is a young mountain range. Old mountains look smoother because they have been shaped by natural weathering over a longer period of time. The Himalayan Mountains, which are an older type of mountain, are still 'growing' due to plate tectonics. If they are given enough time, usually millions of years, all mountains crumble. High, jagged peaks become low, rounded hills. Eventually, mountains wear away, becoming soil and sand. Valleys A flat area of land between hills or mountains is called a valley. Valleys...
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...Plate Tectonics Melissa Schroeder Columbia College For millions of years, tectonic plates have been determinate of changes in the physical face of the earth, and they continue to do so today. These massive plates move underneath the surfaces of the oceans and the continents, producing earthquakes, volcanoes and uplifts. This paper will discuss the composition, movement and history of tectonic plates, the theory of plate tectonics and its history, and tectonic plates affect the surface of the earth today and will continue to do so in the future. The earth is divided into three main layers: the core, the mantle and the crust. The core is further divided into the solid inner core and the liquid outer core. This layer is mostly iron and nickel and is extremely hot. The mantle is divided into the lower and upper mantle and is composed mostly of iron, magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. The outermost layer, which contains all life on earth, is the crust. This layer is rich in oxygen and silicon as well as aluminum, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium. It is in between the crust and the mantle that we find tectonic plates. The outermost layers of the earth are divided into two categories based on their physical properties. The asthenosphere is the lower of these categories, composed of clastic or flowing mantle. The upper layer is known as the lithosphere and contains both the top, rigid layer of the mantle and the crust. The lithosphere is what makes up the tectonic plates...
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