PLATE TECTONICSABBY

WINTERNITZ

Section One

Pangaea- The idea of a landmass made up of all the continents joined together. This supposedly happened about 300 million years ago.

Alfred Wegner- The man who came up with the theory of Pangaea. Born November 1st, 1880, in Germany. He graduated at The University of Berlin, getting a PhD in astronomy and geology. He died in 1930.

Technically, “Pangaea” means “All of the earth” in Greek.

The Earth Period in which Pangaea theoretically occurred in was about 300 million years ago. It is believed that Pangaea broke apart about 180 million years ago

The idea of Pangaea was originally accepted by scientists because Wegner’s theory appeared to fit the facts that they already had. Or at least, as for as they knew.

Because Wegner also majored in astronomy, he knew how the universe worked. How it orbited, the planets…etc. He used this knowledge to relate to how our planet worked.

Another Theory that was around during the Pangaea Theory was the “Contraction Theory.” This theory stated that the belief that the planet was originally a “molten ball,” and in the process of cooling, the surface cracked and folded over upon itself. However, if this had really happened, all of the mountain ranges in the world would be the same age, but they are not. That is the fault of this theory.

Arthur Holmes elaborated on Wegner’s idea of Pangaea after it was dismissed. This idea was that the mantle goes under thermal convection. This idea was unpopular, at first.

30 years later , Harry Hess and R. Deitz had a similar hypothesis, and this became popular. These ideas related to Wegners because the actual idea that the mantle undergoes thermal convection was his in the first place

Resources: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm

Section 2

A convergent boundary is a sort of “geological” mark that shows where the lithosphere joins together with the plate tectonics causing land to rise up.

Hazards such as volcanoes(Volcano- A vent in the Earth’s crust that which lava runs through)

earthquakes(Earthquake- A Series of vibrations induced by two plates rubbing together.)

mountains, mudslides, landslides and trenches are characteristics and the results of a convergent boundary.

Examples:

The Andes Mountain Range Volcanic activity. Caused By The South American Plate colliding

with the Nazca plate Caribbean Volcanic Arch

Islands that are volcanic Eastern Margin of the Caribbean plate came in

contact with the south American plate

Examples Cont. Aleutian Islands

Volcanic Islands Caused by the North American and

pacific plates

Resources:

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.htmlhttp://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm

Section 3

Divergent boundary-plates that form the ocean form. The plates move away from each other

Can cause earthquakes, land and mudslides, and trenches because when the plates move away from each other, they can devastate cities and towns with earthquakes that split the land apart.

Examples Red Sea

Narrow Sea Formed in between the African and Arabian Plates

Linear Lakes Linear lakes formed on a forming on a divergent

plate in Eastern Africa Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Located in Atlantic ocean Some volcanic activity Resources:

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.htmlhttp://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm

Section 4

Transform Boundary-A boundary that’s created by two plates rubbing together sideways.

Causes Earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains(Mountain-A risen sum of land mass caused by two plates colliding on top of each other. landslides(Landslide- The massive falling of any type of rock or soil) mudslides(Mud Slide- The massive falling of dirt or mud that is wet.), and trenches(Trench- A narrow split in the earth caused by a fire or an earthquake)

Examples

Alpine Fault The Fault Between the Australian and Pacific

Plate

San Andres Fault zone Fracture zone between the North and Pacific

Plates.

Resources:http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htmhttp://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.html

Section 5

We, as U.S. citizens, live on the North American Plate, West of the the Atlantic Plate, South of the Juan De Fuca Plate, and East of the Pacific Plate. We live just north of the Caribbean and South American plates.

We, Living in Ohio, can expect hazards relating to plate Tectonics, such as Sinkholes, Coastal Erosion of Lake Erie, Landslides, Light Earthquakes, and Seismic Risks. Other places in the U.S. may experience these as well as Volcanoes and new mountain ranges forming, especially by the West coast.

Some problems we can expect in the Very distant future may be collisions of the North and Juan de Fuca plates, as well as the splitting of the Mid Atlantic Ridge, causing the whole area around it to split is well. This may cause the U.S. some extreme danger.

Resources: http://geology.com/plate-tectonics.sh

tml http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/geosurvey

/html/geo_f03/tabid/8307/Default.aspx

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/geosurvey/gen/seismic/seismic/tabid/7892/Default.aspx