11 Plate Tectonics Abridged. Japan GEOG /10/2013. Instructor: Pesses 1. Part III Earth s Changing Landscapes

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1 11 Plate Tectonics Abridged Part III Earth s Changing Landscapes Geography 101 Physical Geography: Earth s Surface Landscapes M. Pesses, Antelope Valley College Japan Pictures provided by Prof. Lori Dengler, Humboldt State University. Pictures provided by Prof. Lori Dengler, Humboldt State University. Instructor: Pesses 1

2 Ring of Fire Plate Tectonics The Earth s surface is covered by a series of crustal plates The seafloor is constantly moving and being regenerated The movement results from convection The convection results from radioactive decay Alfred Wegener (1912) Origin of the Continents and Oceans, 1915 Proposed Continental Drift Many rejected it A supercontinent in the Triassic Period Keep in mind this was only about million years ago New research is exploring other supercontinents that existed before this Pangaea Instructor: Pesses 2

3 Continental Drift Wegener had some stuff wrong, but had a sound theoretical concept Wrong about timeline and what moved the continents Thought centrifugal force moved continents Continental fit Strata Mountains Glacial evidence Fossils Past Climates Evidence Fit Strata Evidence It looks right Below current sea level Mountain Evidence Glacial Evidence Massive glaciers covered southern hemisphere late Paleozoic Era Glacial striations on Australia, S. America, & India looks like glaciers moved in from the sea Reconstruct Gondwana The glacial movements make sense Instructor: Pesses 3

4 Fossil Evidence Past Climates Evidence Mid latitude coal Areas once being closer to the Equator, lush vegetation Breakup of Pangaea Dismissal Resurgence American Association of Petroleum Geologists Symposium, 1928 More people disputed the idea even though the evidence was solid One problem was the lack of proof for a driving force behind the continents moving. It s hard to grasp the concept Majority of evidence in the Southern Hemisphere Research on seafloor spreading gave more proof of continental drift (1950s 1960s) Instructor: Pesses 4

5 Resurgence Harry Hammond Hess, WWII Echo sounding Published History in 1962 Still not enough data for everyone to buy it Magnetic reversals Resurgence Magnetic Reversals When basalt is formed in this process it orients with the magnetic field Records the changes in magnetic field Can help relatively date the seafloor Magnetic Polarity Magnetic Polarity Seafloor reveals a constant record of the magnetic polarity of the Earth for the last 200 million years Instructor: Pesses 5

6 Magnetic Polarity Deep-Sea Drilling Project Continental records of past magnetic polarity didn t match the sea floor Either means the Earth has had two sets of poles Or the continents used to be in different places International effort Gave proof to seafloor spreading & continental drift Sea-Floor Spreading The driving force behind continental drift Cause of undersea mountain range Mid ocean ridge caused by magma upwelling Cools & creates new sea floor Older sea floor subducted, returned to magma This cycle is known as a thermal convection cell Relative Age of the Oceanic Crust Instructor: Pesses 6

7 The Theory of Plate Tectonics Sea-Floor Spreading, Subduction Incorporates: Upwelling of magma Seafloor spreading Continental drift Earthquakes Volcanoes Orogenesis How mountains get formed Plate Boundaries Spreading (Divergent) boundaries Converging boundaries Transform boundaries Spreading Boundaries Oceanic Spreading Boundary Example: Mid Atlantic Ridge Characteristic of sea floor spreading Upwelling of magma Construction of lithic material Most are underwater Great Rift Valley of East Africa example of a continental spreading boundary Zones of extension Instructor: Pesses 7

8 Rift Valley Motion at Plate Boundaries Middle East & Oil Forming a Divergent Boundary Steven Dutch Converging Boundaries Collision zones Where plates (both continental and oceanic crust) collide Compression Crustal loss destruction of lithic material Instructor: Pesses 8

9 Motion at Plate Boundaries Transform Boundaries Where plates slide past each other No diverging, no converging Usually no volcanic activity Instructor: Pesses 9

10 V o l c a n o T r a c k s GEOG /10/2013 San Andreas Fault Earthquakes & Volcanoes Hot Spots Magma upwelling from stationary sites in the mantle Not necessarily at plate boundaries Can be useful in tracking movement of plates Instructor: Pesses 10

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