earth's dynamics, from continental drift to global tectonics
DESCRIPTION
Earth's dynamics for 4th graders (15 year-old students). From Alfred Wegener to Tuzo Wilson and Harry Hess.TRANSCRIPT
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Scientific precedent: Continental Drift
Alfred Wegener:1915. “The Origen of Continents and Oceans”
Paleolithic evidence
Geological evidence
Paleoclimatic evidence
Continental jigsaw puzzle
•What’s wrong with Continental
Drift?
•How long did we wait for a new
theory?
•How did it come?
During the second half of the 20th century:
• Seismometers network.• Submerged relief of the oceans.•Age of the rocks of the ocean floor.•Paleomagnetism of the ocean floor.•Distribution of earthquakes and volcanos.
Global Tectonics
Main concepts
• The lithosphere is divided into great
blocks.
• Lithosperic plates are dynamic.
• The ocean floor is continually generated
and destroyed.
Main tectonic plates
Types of plate boundaries
• Divergent or constructive boundaries.
• Convergent or destructive boundaries.
• Transform or passive boundaries.
Divergent boundaries
What geological phenomena are likely to occur here?What do you see here? Come on, make the effort!
Would the study of the rock age help?
•Molten material rises up and solidifies on the surface, pushing the 2 plates in opposite directions.
•New lithosphere is being formed here, so:• Do plates increase their size?• Is the Earth’s surface increasing?
Divergent boundaries
RIDGES CONTINENTAL RIFTS
Divergent boundaries can be found on the sea floor or on land.
What is this?
Transform or passive boundaries
• Fractures where 2 plates slide horizontally
against each other.
• Is lithosphere being created here?
• What geological phenomena are expected?
• Do you know any of these transform faults by name?
Passive boundaries
Convergent or destructive boundaries
• Two plates moving towards each other interact.what happens then?
• 3 types according to the composition of the plates in the area of collision:
1. Continental and oceanic.2. 2 oceanic plates.3. 2 continental plates.
Types of destructive boundaries
Could you define subduction?
How do we know this is real?
Depth of hypocentres
The further you go from the trench, the deeper the hypocentres are plane of subduction or plane of Benioff.
Oceanic-Continental
• Oceanic plate subducts under continental.
• Quakes along a sloping plane.
• Andean or marginal mountain ranges with active volcanoes.
Oceanic-Oceanic
• The oldest one subducts. Why?• Friction+high T melt the rocks.•Active volcanoes form an island arc.
Continental-Continental
Continental lithosphere can’t subduct. What now? A mountain range is formed.Earthquakes.What about volcanism?
Types of boundaries. Summary.Type of boundary
Tye of movement
Ocean floor Landform produced
DIVERGENT Separation Creates oceanic lithosphere
Ridges and continental rifts
CONVERGENT Collision Destroys oceanic lithosphere
Trenches, island arcs and mountains
TRANSFORM Lateral displacement
Neither creates nor destroys
Transform faults
The Wilson CycleJohn Tuzo Wilson (1909-1993):• At least, two geological processes of rifting
and reuniting of supercontinents.• This cycle brings together all the phenomena
studied so far.• Can be organised in 3 stages:
1. Continental rifting.2. Expanding ocean.3. Continental collision.
Activity: Organise these images in a cycle.
Continental fragmentation.
Plate dynamics and heat under the continent can fracture the continent.
First, it bulges and breaks, then, it sinks down and a CONTINENTAL RIFT is formed.
Formation of an expanding ocean.
The Atlantic ocean is an example. Its size is increasing steadily due to the production of new oceanic lithosphere.
What’s going on here?
Closing of the ocean basin and continental collision.
The oceanic lithosphere near the edge of the continent fractures and stars to subduct.
Why? Increased density. Weight of sediments.
During the second half of the 20th century:• Seismometers network.•Distribution of earthquakes and volcanos.• Submerged relief of the oceans.•Age of the rocks of the ocean floor.•Paleomagnetism of the ocean floor.•Laser and GPS measurements.
Global Tectonics
The evidence for the theory of plate tectonics
Distribution of erthquakes and volcanoes
Mapping of the submerged relief
Study of the age of the rocks of the ocean floor
Study of the age of the rocks of the ocean floor
Paleomagnetism of the ocean floor
Laser and GPS measurements
Intra-plate phenomena
How do we explain the movement of the plates?
1. Convection Currents.2. Push exerted by new materials in the oceanic
ridges.3. Pull due to the weight of sinking plates in
oceanic trenches.