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Plate tectonic theory essays
Plate tectonics philosophy
Plate tectonic theory essays
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Plate tectonics is a theory in earth science about plates that ride on the asthenosphere. These plate tectonics carry continents and ocean basins. There are seven major plate tectonic plates and many minor plates. There are two types of tectonic plates: oceanic and continental plates; continental plates have a density of 2.7 g/cm^3 but oceanic plates have a density of 3 g/cm^3.The area at which these plates meet are called plate boundaries. There are three types of plates boundaries that we have identified: convergent plate boundary, divergent plate boundary, and transform plate boundary. A convergent plate boundary is where two plates are moving toward each other. If the two plates are of equal density (two continental plates or two oceanic …show more content…
Continental drift is the theory of the shifting of the positioning and look of continents in the past and their predicted look in the future. 2.5 cm a year doesn’t seem like a lot unless we calculate it in the millions or hundreds of million years, possibly even 200 million years ago, the era of Pangea. Pangea is the theory that all the 7 continents that we have classified today were joined into one supercontinent, Pangea. The main evidence for this theory of continental drift and Pangea is that almost identical animal and plant fossils, and similar rock formations, are found on different continents. The coastlines of continents even match up with a little bit of rotation and alignment. Through the years, parts of the supercontinent started to drift apart and continued drifting to turn into the continents we know …show more content…
Without studying plate tectonics, then we can never evaluate, prepare for, or predict: volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or tsunamis. Without the theory of plate tectonics we would have never had known what the cause of earthquakes is or how to prepare for the arrival of an S-wave after the arrival of a P-wave. The theory of plate tectonics is not a lost cause or a finished theory. There is still a lot of progress to be made; right now my team and I are working on a way to predict earthquakes up to days in advance so that if the threat of a major earthquake is visible, we can evacuate before the P-wave even hits instead of panicking when the P-wave does hit. My team and I are also working on improved ways to predict and prepare for volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Conclusion Researching and studying the theory of plate tectonics is incredibly important to earth science and the world. With your support we will be able to predict and prepare for not only earthquakes, but also volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. The theory of plate tectonics is not over, the earth is always changing and moving, so the theory of plate tectonics must also change with the earth and not just be based on only the past. With your continuing investment we will be able to adapt, learn, and protect ourselves from the natural occurrences that can be minor on
Earthquakes are a natural part of the Earth’s evolution. Scientific evidence leads many geologists to believe that all of the land on Earth was at one point in time connected. Because of plate tectonic movements or earthquakes, continental drift occurred separating the one massive piece of land in to the seven major continents today. Further evidence supports this theory, starting with the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a large mass of plate tectonics, which are increasing the size of the Atlantic Ocean while shrinking the Pacific. Some scientists believe that the major plate moveme...
Source 4. A map of the Earth’s fault lines and plates with the direction of their movement.
What have they learned since the quake quite allot. The fault moved in a fashion that geologists of
CHESTER, R. (2008). Chapter 6: CONTINENTAL DRIFT: A THEORY WITHOUT A CAUSE. In , Furnace of Creation Cradle of Destruction: A Journey to the Birthplace of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, & Tsunamis (p. 86). American Management Association International.
Enormous tectonic plates grind against each other deep inside the Earth, unmoving for centuries. One pebble here or there won’t change much but with enough force behind one side, it can cause an earthquake, sending shock waves across the world, altering landscapes and shifting mountains. The individual has little power to change society's perspective alone, but with enough power behind him, he has a chance to change things.
Understanding the plate tectonics theory is very important, especially when investigating natural disasters like earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. It is also gives scientists the ability to understand how mountains were formed between two tectonic plates. There are three types of interactions between plate boundaries: convergent, divergent and transform. Looking back at the history of these three different interactions, earthquakes, like the one in Haiti, volcanic eruptions, like at Mount St. Helens, and the creation of mountain belts, like the Mid-Atlantic Oceanic ridge, gives information on future consequences of tectonic movement, and what can happen when the plates interact with each other.
The earth’s surface and the mantle make up the composition of the tectonic plates. This layer, called the lithosphere, rests on top of the asthenosphere, a layer of molten rock. The asthenosphere is constantly moving and flowing due to the extreme pressures...
Since the beginning of human kind there has been a cloud of wonder of how our planet was formed. Scientist interested in this field through out the years have developed many different theories to how our planet came about. Before the Twentieth Century, scientists and geologists thought that mountain structures were due to the massive tightening of the earth caused by the gradual cooling of molten rocks. In 1900, American scientist Joseph Le Conte, published an article in the Appleton's Popular Scientific Monthly. He described that the problem in understanding mountain building was establishing the cause of sideways pressure. It was not until 1910, that an American Geologist named F.B.Taylor, proposed the idea of a continental drift. Other scientists dismissed Taylor's idea, because there was just not enough proof. However, Taylor's idea was then backed up by a German scientist named Alfred Wegener. He proposed that the continents surrounding the Atlantic Ocean, Africa and South America fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. His broad range of studies enabled him to incorporate his theory of Plate Tectonics. Wegener, later in 1915 while in the German military published his idea that interpreted how his continental drift theory worked. He proposed that a huge landmass called Pangea, meaning ("all land") existed 200 million years ago. He furthered explained that this super continent began to drift apart very slowly throughout millions of years into what it looks like now. Wegener went on several expeditions through out his life to the continents of South America and Africa.
...t of laurasia, just like most of the other plates. North America,Europe, and Green land all used to be connect because of Pangea ( as mentioned earlier). But when everything started to separate, first europe, then green land, and lastly the North American plate. After pangea was no more and the plates all started moving, the continents started going their own ways, there fore putting the continents where they are today.
Subsequently, my interest in Earth Science piqued so I tried identifying the type of rocks in my collection to no avail until much later. I was also prompted to read “Why Geology Matters”. Understanding the processes and coincidences that shaped earth overwhelms me as their grandeur belittles us who only existed for a tiny fraction of Earth’s 4.5 billion years. Studying Earth makes sense since she still has so much left undiscovered that I think, can help further studies into plate tectonics and past geological record for indicators that might aid in more accurate predictions of geohazards especially earthquakes and volcanoes, along with potential catastrophes like tsunamis that is linked to them. Thus, thousands or even millions of lives can be saved.
The fourth article I read was, “The Mantle Moves Us.” I noted, because I find it neat, is: instead of riding over the mantle, continental crust might be coupled to it, with the keels anchoring the two together. The upper mantle’s flow would propel the continents in part by pushing on the keels. The fifth, and final article I read was, “What’s Up With the Quakes Before a Volcano Erupts.”
According to the theory, the continents had drifted away from supercontinent into the Continents we have today. EVIDENCE 1 One of the piece of evidence Wegner provided for this seemingly
When the Reynolds number is less than 10 .... it is considered laminar, when it is greater than 100 it is considered turbulent. The areas in between are defined as transitional and can go either way.
Continental drift is the theory that the continents moved or split into smaller continents that we have today. That is the reason we think is that we find plant and animal fossils that originated and lived in different continents are found on the other side of the world than were we thought they lived.
The concurrent convective circulations in the mantle leads to some segments of the mantle moving on top of the outer core which is very hot and molten in nature. This kind of movement in different segments occurs as tectonic plates. These tectonic plates are basically seven on the earth surface as major ones, although, several small ones exist also. The plates motions are characterized by varying velocities, this variance results to sub sequential collision of two plates (leading to formation of a mountain in a convergent boundary), drift of two plates (leading to formation of rifts in a divergent boundary), or parallel movement in a transform boundary(Webcache 3).