INTRODUCTION In 1835 Charles Darwin, aboard the vessel HMS Beagle, first set foot on the Islands of the Galapagos Archipeligo setting off on what would become the inspiration for the most important innovation in biological sciences either before or since. That visit solidified for Darwin his notion of the evolution of life on Earth, and helped trigger his breakthrough regarding Natural Selection, ultimately culminating in his groundbreaking masterpiece On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. And although Darwin would never return to these Islands in his lifetime, the Galapagos still hold today a vast importance-both symbolic and scientific-to evolutionary biologists everywhere, and have undergone intense scrutiny and study in the 175 years since his arrival. However it is not simply a biological treasure; indeed the Galapagos Islands are among the best examples of some very important geologic theories and processes. While Darwin and the Beagle's five-week visit marked the first ever scientific study of both the ecology and geology of the Islands, they certainly would not be the last. From the science behind how they were formed in the first place, to the extrodinary evidence they present in favor of Continental Drift, Plate Tectonic Theory and the "Hot Spot" hypothesis the Galapagos hold great geologic value as well. LOCATION, GENERAL GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS This archipelago is situated under the equator, at a distance of between five and six hundred miles from the west coast of South America. It consists of five principal islands, and of several small ones...They are all volcanic: on two, craters have been seen in eruption, and on several of the other islands, streams of lava have a ... ... middle of paper ... ...Works Cited BAILEY, K.IMBERLEY. (1976). Potassium-Argon Ages from the Galapagos Islands. Science, 192(4238), 465-467. CHUBB, LAWRENCE. (1933). Geology of Galapagos, Cocos and Easter Islands. Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Bulletin 110 DARWIN, CHARLES. (1844). Volcanic Islands. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3054/pg3054.html. KRICHER, JOHN. (2002). Galapagos. Smithsonian Institution UC BERKELEY. (n.d.). plate tectonics: history of an idea. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html. USGS.GOV. (2009). Historical perspective [This Dynamic Earth, USGS]. (n.d.). . Retrieved February 20, 2010, from http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html. WHITE, W. (1997). Galapagos Geology. Retrieved February 14, 2010, from http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/GalapagosWWW/GalapagosGeology.html.
Marshak, S. (2009) Essentials of Geology, 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, ch. 11, p. 298-320.
The site visited on this day was informally known as the Bedrock Knob (NTS grid reference: 120 342). It is in an area where patches of limestone and exposed bedrock are common. The bedrock is part of the Preca...
In Charles Darwin’s life he had helped make a significant advancement in the way mankind viewed the world. With his observations, he played a part in shifting the model of evolution into his peers’ minds. Darwin’s theory on natural selection impacted the areas of science and religion because it questioned and challenged the Bible; and anything that challenged the Bible in Darwin’s era was sure to create contention with the church. Members of the Church took offense to Darwin’s Origins of Species because it unswervingly contradicted the teachings of the book of Genesis in the Bible. (Zhao, 2009) Natural selection changed the way people thought. Where the Bible teaches that “all organisms have been in an unchanging state since the great flood, and that everything twas molded in God’s will.” (Zhao, 2009) Darwin’s geological journey to the Galapagos Islands is where he was first able to get the observations he needed to prove how various species change over t...
Van Siclen, D. "The Houston Fault problem." Institute of Professional Geologists. Ed. 3rd Annual Meeting. Texas, 1967. p.9-31.
Ehlen, Judy, and R.C. Whisonant. 2008. "Military geology of Antietam battlefield, Maryland, USA—geology, terrain, and casualties." Geology Today 20-27.
... plate is now called the Juan de Fuca plate (“Juan de Fuca General”). This happened just before the Laramide orogeny contributing to the building of this huge landmass of geological features.
Mud volcanoes of the Orinoco Delta, Eastern Venezuela. Retrieved November 13, 2013, from http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70023450 World Atlas. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. Lake Maracaibo. Retrieved November 19, 2013, from http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/lakemaracaibo.htm.
Miesse, Willian C. "Mount Shasta Geology and History." USGS: Volcano Hazards Program - Mount Shasta Geology and History. College of the Siskiyous Library, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.
The Magnificent North American Tectonic Plate Even though other global problems are bigger than Plate tectonics, the North American Plate took many years to form, is very divers, and is purely magnifect because a big part of our everyday life and the plate tectonic theory is one of the oldest theories known to man. There are also many different aspects to the North American Plate. There are regular basic facts about the plates, there are specific scientists that gathered and founded information about this plate and many others. There is the location of this plate and the plates surrounding it. There are multiple different types of boundaries that surround this plate.
The impact these men had on religious thought was tremendous. Some of them are the starting points for many of the controversies existing today. Of all the scientists, historians, and philosophers in the nineteenth century, the most influential and controversial was Charles Darwin. Born in 1809, Charles Darwin always had an interest in the nature, so he chose to study botany in college. His strengths in botany led him to become the naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle. On a trip to South America, he and the rest of the crew visited the near by Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It was there he noticed many different variations of the same general plants and birdshe saw previously in South America. He also observed ancient fossils of extinct organisms that closely resembled modern organisms. By 1859, all of these observations inspired him to write down his theories. He wanted to explain how evolution had occurred through a process called natural selection. In his published work, On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, or On the Origin of Species for short, Darwin stated that, "new species have come on the stage slowly and at successive intervals."(1) He also said, "old forms are supplanted by new and improved forms," and all organisms play a part in the "struggle for life.
Darwin made a five year voyage on The HMS Beagle that would change his life, and all life as a matter of fact, forever. The observations that he made in the Galapagos Islands would be the basis for his theory. The Galapagos
Professor Charles H. Hapgood, most known for his book The Earth 's Shifting Crust: A Key to Some Basic Problems of Earth Science and Graham
Darwin later made his second relevant discovery at Falkland Island. Darwin spent his time there collecting fossils. Darwin noticed how different the fossils on the island were from those he found on the coast of South America. During his stay, he decided to do comparative studies between all the fossils,
The islands Savaii and Upolu don’t have active volcanoes. Volcanic activity occurred once in 1911. The capital city is Apia is located in the northern of Upolu. Samoa is between Hawaii and New Zealand. There is little level of land, except in the coastal areas, where most agriculture is surrounding the area.
Snow, D. J. (2001, August 24). Fundamental Concepts of the Earths Systems. (University of Oklahoma) Retrieved May 11, 2014, from Earth System Science Education: http://www.esse.ou.edu/fund_concepts/fund_concept_ess.html#FunCon06