Honestly, I have not known a lot about plate tectonics before I read these five articles. In secondary schools and elementary schools, you learn the basics. You know that volcanoes go boom, and earthquakes cause the earth to shake. It was really fascinating to learn more about the formation and causes. The first article I read was, “When Continents Collide.” I had no idea that tectonic forces were starting to work in reverse. Geologists mapping seismic activity and underwater topography say that the tectonic forces that once split and spread Pangea across the surface of the globe are shifting, setting our existing continents on an collision course. I also learned what a embryonic subduction zone was, it is where a new edge is formed. The …show more content…
It is neat to know that only 44 miles beneath the oceanic islands is the base of the tectonic plates. The third article I read was, “The Indo-Australian Split.” I did not know that the outer shell of the Earth is broken up into 12 major plates and a few smaller ones. I always figured that there were only as many plates as the number of continents. 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.” I did not know that almost every volcano on the planet is initially formed by melting the mantle. I have always thought of magma as a liquid. This means it can exert a lot of force on the rocks around it as it rises its way through the crust. This is what generates much of the earthquakes that occur in volcanically active
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...
Basalt forms due to the partial melting of the layer of the mantle called the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is the plastic zone of the mantle beneath the rigid lithosphere. Mantle plumes coming from the mesosphere can cause the asthenosphere to melt with heat or even if pressure decreases, which is called decompression melting (Richard 2011). The magma that forms from this melting is mafic magma that solidifies once it reaches the earth’s surface and cools quickly. The above process mainly occurs mainly during intraplate igneous activity which is the main explanation for volcanic activity that occurs a long distance away from a plate boundary. If the tectonic plate above the mantle plume is moving it can create a string of volcanic activity such as in Hawaii. See Fig 2.
When the plates mash together on a convergent boundary, they can create an earthquake. A place with a convergent boundary is New Zealand. When the plates pull apart, a divergent boundary, they create a hole in the ocean that causes molten lava to rush up and it causes a volcano to form. A place with a divergent boundary is Iceland. With about 130 volcanoes all together, it has the most volcanoes of any country in the world and is on two tectonic plates. Santorini is currently in an area of earth where the African and Eurasian plate meet, and Atlantis disappeared with a rumble that could have come from a volcano or an
The theory concluded that around 200 million years ago, the heavy Pacific Plate collided with the lighter North American Plate, and started sliding underneath, a process known as subduction. This continued for 100 million years, until some 20 million years ago, when the Pacific Plate was forced to change direction and started sliding north, creating the San Andreas Fault. Most of California’s population sits on the west side of the fault, the Pacific plate, while the rest of North America is sitting on the east side of the fault, the North American
“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed.” This powerful quote from Elie Wiesel relates to many students who have experienced a life-changing event. Just as Elie’s life was forever altered by his time in the concentration camps, students can also relate to a single night altering their lives forever. To receive a greater understanding of the Holocaust and the immense suffering endured by victims, it is crucial students are required to read this book. Night is told from a primary source, not fiction, and helps students acquire an improved visual of what the Holocaust was like, and has lots of information explaining the story in repetitive
Volcanoes can cause damage by spewing lava, but earthquakes before the eruption can also cause damage. These earthquakes open fissures and let magma out to the surface. When the magma exits these fissures, streams of lava up to hundreds of feet can shoot into the air. The picture below shows the lava erupting from the fissures created by the earthquakes in...
First you might need to know definition of tectonics. It is a theory in geology. The lithosphere of the Earth is divided into a small number of plates which float on and travel independently over the mantle and much of the Earth’s seismic activity occurs at the boundaries of these plates. That is the official definition of Plate tectonics. secondly, this plate covers many parts of continents. plate boundaries don’t go according to Continents boundaries, they make their own boundaries. The North American plat...
Super volcanoes are formed when magma rises from the mantle to create a scorching reservoir in the Earth's
Magma is a hot liquid made of melted minerals. Minerals can form crystals when they are cool. Igneous rock can form underground, where the magma cools. slowly. Or, igneous rock can form above ground, where the magma cools.
While we know volcanoes erupt, how do they erupt? After some research, I found that they are caused by gas pressuring the molten magma, forcing the magma to push upward into the weak zones in the Earth’s crust. Thus, this allows the magma to push its way out through the volcano’s vents to be erupted from its crater to become lava. In the 1883 eruption, the eruption lasted from August 23-27. In 1988, the explosions lasted from February to April, erupting continuously. And in 1992, it lasted from November 7, 1992 to August 14, 1993, one of Krakatoa’s longest eruptions. In 1992, the lava flowed one kilometer to the north, moving the shore 100 meters more northern than the former shore
They are the earth’s crust; they move very slowly every year. As the tectonic plates slide over each other they cause earthquakes. Earthquakes produce various damaging effects this includes damage to structures of buildings, bridges and other standing formations which then...
Igneous rocks are formed from the ejection of earth’s volcanoes. Deep down inside earth’s mantle there lies hot magma. Magma is molten rock that is kept below the surface. This mixture is usually made up of four parts: a hot liquid substance which is called the melt; minerals that have been crystallized by the melt; solid rocks that have made themselves tangled in the melt because of loose materials, and finally gases that have become liquid. Magma is created by an increase in temperatures, pressure change, and a alter in composition. When this magma is ejected from earth’s crust it earns a new name called lava. The lava hardens and becomes an Igneous rock.
Plate tectonics is the theory that landmasses on tectonic plates are in slow constant movement due to convection currents in the mantle. Plate tectonics, or the movements of plates above the lithosphere (the most upper layer of earth's crust) can cause divergent, convergent,and transform boundaries.A boundary the way two tectonic plates collide. is Continental plates are plates that the continents are formed on. Oceanic plates are plates that the ocean covers, and the oceans form on top of these plates. Convergent boundaries and divergent boundaries are ways that these oceanic and continental plates interact with each other. Landforms are formed at boundaries. The landforms formed at boundaries depends on the type of plates that collide, and
Due to the fact that rocks are composed of high intensity of elastic and brittle material, they therefore store considerable amount of strain energy that results from elasticity, during the action of plate tectonic. The brittleness leads to development of concurrent cracks on the rocks as a result of plate’s action.
Volcanoes are formed when magma is expelled from the Earth’s surface, resulting in volcanic eruptions consisting of ash and lava. Over time, the lava cools and forms into rock on the Earth’s surface. Whenever an eruption occurs, the newly-formed rock from the lava layers continuously until the volcano takes its shape. Volcanic eruptions have taken place for thousands of years, and even today, according to the U.S Geological Survey (2010), there are approximately 1500 active volcanoes located throughout the world.