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The Creation of the Ocean Floor

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The Creation of the Ocean Floor

Anitreas Weeks

SCI/209

January 26, 2013
Cynthia Collin-Clausen

The Creation of the Ocean Floor When most individuals think about the ocean they visualize water, and the creatures of the sea. Rarely do individuals think about the sea floor or the creation process of it. Sea floor spreading and plate boundaries are not 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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