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“Volcanic and Seismic Events Are Major Pieces of Evidence Towards Proving That Plate Tectonics Theory Is Valid’ Discuss the Extent to Which You Agree with This Statement

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“Volcanic and seismic events are major pieces of evidence towards proving that plate tectonics theory is valid’ Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement (40 marks)

The plate tectonics theory was made by a German named Alfred Wegener. He stated that a single continent existed about 300 million years ago named Pangaea and that it split into two continents of Laurasia in the north and Gondwanaland in the south. Today’s continents were formed by further splitting of the two masses.

Evidence to support this theory is that there is that there have been fossils found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean of land animals which gives us the idea that they must have been together originally. There is also climate evidence for …show more content…

It is believed that this volcanic area was caused by a localised hot spot within the Pacific plate. A concentration of radioactive elements inside of the mantle may have caused this hot spot to develop. The hot spot is stationary so as the Pacific plate moves over it a line of volcanoes are made. This is more proof that the Earth’s crust is moving as suggested by Wegener.

Although there are other volcanic events that don’t prove that the tectonic theory is valid. For example The "Ring of Fire" is an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. The Ring of Fire is composed over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. This huge ring of volcanic and seismic (earthquake) activity was noticed and described before the invention of the theory of plate tectonics theory. Also without movement at the boundaries around the Pacific, volcanoes such as Mt St Helens would simply not exist, as they would have no fuel caused by the subduction of an oceanic plate under a continental plate.

Overall the plate tectonics theory does seem valid as there is lots of evidence to prove it right. For example fossils on either side of the ocean, climates being the same in different continents and hot spots. But there are some stronger pieces of evidence like the ring of

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