Tieshia Online Lab 3 Assignment

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Feb 20, 2024

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Lab 3: Plate Tectonics GEOG 1113L – Introduction to Landforms Lab Name: Quantieshia Brown (Tieshia) I. The Saga of Supercontinents 1. What has driven the Earth’s advances and setbacks, explosions of life, and its extinction events? Paleogeography (movement of the Earth’s continents) is what drove the Earth’s advances and setbacks, explosions of life, and its extinction events. 2. What mid-20 th century discovery solidified the theory of continental drift? What is the significance of this feature? The mid-20 th -century discovery that solidified the theory of continental drift is the fact there was an enormous mountain range running through the middle of the Atlantic. These are what is known as mid-ocean ridges which were found in all the world’s oceans, and they were all volcanically active. The significance of this feature is that geologists realized that the mid- ocean volcanoes were creating rocky material on the seafloor and spreading it outward in a process called seafloor spreading. 3. Another primary mechanism of plate tectonics is called subduction where oceanic crust slides under the continental crust and begins to melt and mix with the mantle. 4. Kenorland was one of the Earth’s first supercontinents that formed 2.5 to 2.7 billion years ago and was not much bigger than Australia . 5. Which supercontinent existed at the same time as the Earth’s first animals? Did they live on the land? Pannotia was the supercontinent that existed at the same time as the Earth’s first animals. No animals lived on land. 6. How many supercontinents were mentioned in the video? There were five (5) supercontinents mentioned in the video. 7. What caused the two major extinctions of Pangaea? Moisture from the oceans couldn’t reach the interior, which made most of the inland regions uninhabitable. This led to two mass extinctions which were caused by a series of volcanic eruptions from fissures in Pangea. The super-hot air and the super acidic rain and seas killed almost everything. 8. How fast are the continents moving? The continents are moving at a rate of 2.5 centimeters.
II. Plate Boundaries Open the PowerPoint “Lab 3 Part II_Plate Boundaries”. Read through the definitions and hints on the first slide of the PowerPoint. Draw at least two convergent boundaries and two divergent boundaries on the map using the “Draw” tab in the second slide of the PowerPoint. Make your divergent boundaries green and your convergent boundaries red . Draw arrows on each side of your boundaries to indicate which direction the plates are moving. Upload your completed PowerPoint activity along with your completed lab assignment document to the Lab 3 assignment submission folder on iCollege.
III. The Tectonic Cycle Use the diagram below to help you answer the question. 1. In your own words, describe the lifecycle of Earth’s tectonic plates. Be sure to use the labels in the image to help you provide as much detail as possible. Earth’s tectonic plates start with the continents ripping apart from each other when the sea crust moves under the lighter landmasses and then begins to seep back into the Earth’s crust and mix with the mantle. At this point, the formation of a new seafloor begins to spread which is a part of subduction. This is when mid-ocean ridges were discovered. As time goes on, plate tectonic begin to age because of the constant heat and dry moisture that is formed. After years and years of hot moisture, this plate tectonic begins to destruct and break apart and the process starts over.
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IV. Tectonic Scavenger Hunt Visit the link below and explore the contents of This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics. You can begin by clicking “Preface” or “Historical Perspectives”, then click the arrows at the bottom of each page to advance forward or go back. You should visit each of the “Sidebar” pages and images as well. Answer the questions below that go along with the reading. Link: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/dynamic.html 1. How many tectonic plates are there? (Hint: You’ll have to count!) There are 15 tectonic plates. 2. Explain the difference between the previously accepted geological theory, “catastrophism” and the accepted theory of today, “uniformitarianism”. The difference between the previously accepted geological theory of “catastrophism” and the accepted theory of today “uniformitarianism” is that catastrophism was based on the belief that all earthly changes were sudden and caused by a series of catastrophes and uniformitarianism is a new way of thinking centered around the “uniformitarian principle” which states that the present is the key to the past. People who stand firm with this view point assume that the geologic forces and processes, gradual as well as catastrophic, acting on the Earth today are the same as those that have acted in the geologic past. 3. What are two reasons Alfred Wegener was convinced of continental drift? The two reasons Alfred Wegner was convinced of continental drift are as follows: Matching fossil occurrences appearing after the breakup of Pangaea and the evidence of dramatic climate changes on some continents. 4. Where is the lithosphere thinnest? The lithosphere tends to be the thinnest under the oceans and in volcanically active continental areas, such as the Western United States. 5. What is the composition of continental and oceanic crust, and how do the two relate to each other in terms of density and thickness? The continental crust is composed of granitic rocks which are made up of relatively lightweight minerals such as quartz and feldspar. The oceanic crust is composed of basaltic rocks, which are much denser and heavier. The variations in plate thickness are nature’s way of partly compensating for the imbalance in the weight and density of the two types of crust. 6. What new data was Alfred Wegener unable to discover because of his untimely death? Because of his death, Alfred Wegner was not able to discover the new Atlantic bathymetric data just acquired by the German research vessel Meteor in the late 1920s. The data showed the existence of a central valley along much of the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. 7. What did the Australian polar dinosaur fossils provide evidence of? The Australian polar dinosaur fossils provided evidence that they adapted to cooler temperature conditions, had keen night vision, and were warm-blooded. It also provided evidence that these types of dinosaurs survived the volcanic winter that killed other dinosaur species. 8. The ocean floor contains what magnetic mineral that can distort compass readings? Basalt is a magnetic mineral that can distort compass readings. 9. What sort of data does this mineral (from question 8) provide when observed in a volcanic rock?
When observed in volcanic rock, the type of data that the mineral provides is accurate measurements of plate boundaries from outer space using GEOSAT satellites. 10. Where do earthquakes concentrate the most? Earthquakes concentrate on the edges of the Pacific Ocean the most. 11. Because our 4.5-billion-year-old Earth is constantly cycling oceanic crust, how old is the oldest oceanic crust still on Earth’s surface today? A. Thousands of years old B. Billions of years old C. Millions of years old D. Hundreds of millions of years old 12. Instead of sunlight, what source of energy does the deep ocean survive on near mid-ocean ridges? The source of energy that the deep ocean survives on near the mid-ocean ridge is a chemical reaction known as chemosynthesis. 13. How many trenches are a part of The Ring of Fire? 15 trenches is a part of The Ring of Fire. 14. What caused the formation of the Himalayas and when? About 40 and 50 million years ago, two large landmasses, India, and Eurasia, driven by plate movement collided. Since both continental landmasses have about the same rock density, one plate could not be subducted under the other. The pressure of the impinging plate could only be relieved by thrusting skyward, contorting the collision zone, and forming the jagged Himalayan peaks. 15. What is a transform boundary and where do you find them? A transform boundary is the zone between two plates sliding horizontally past one another. They are found on the ocean floor. 16. What and where is the fastest rate of plate movement? The fastest rate of plate movement is in the East Pacific Rise near Easter Island, in the South Pacific which is about 3,400 km west of Chile. The rate is more than 15 centimeters per year. 17. What are the three techniques used to study the earth’s surface and which one is best for measuring tectonic movement and why? The three techniques used to study the Earth’s surface are very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), satellite laser ranging (SLR), and the Global Positioning System (GPS). The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the best at measuring tectonic movement because it has over twenty-one satellites that are currently in orbit above the Earth and they can continuously transmit radio signals back to Earth, determine precise position on Earth (longitude, latitude, and elevation), and each GPS ground site can simultaneously receive signals from at least four satellites, recording the exact time and location of each satellite when its signal is received. 18. What created the Hawaiian island chain? Over the past 70 million years, the combined processes of magma formation, volcano eruptions and growth, and continued movement of the Pacific Plate over the stationary Hawaiian “hot spot” are what created the Hawaiian Island chain. 750,000 cubic kilometers of lava that has erupted is what formed the Hawaiian Chain. 19. What is the significance of Loihi?
Loihi which is an active volcano that is forming, it is assumed that it will continue to grow, and it will become the next island in the Hawaiian chain. In the geologic future, Loihi may become fused with the Island of Hawaii. 20. What two main sources provide heat within the earth? The two main sources that provide heat within the Earth are radioactive decay and residual heat. 21. In your own words, what is one piece of information you found interesting from the “Extraterrestrial plate tectonics?” section? I thought it was interesting to learn that Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the size of Mercury and is broken up into many plate-like blocks that have long narrow depressions between them and they represent ancient “fossil” plate tectonics. 22. In your own words, what is one piece of information you found interesting from the “What went on before the break-up of Pangaea?” section? I thought it was interesting to learn that continents are built with blocks of crust varying in age, size, rock composition, structure, and fossil assemblage (fauna and flora). I was not aware that all these things make up a continent. In your own words, what is one piece of information you found interesting from the “Plate tectonics and people?” section? I thought it was interesting to learn that tsunamis are not tidal waves, and they don’t have anything to do with tidal action. Tsunamis are seismic sea waves that are caused by earthquakes, submarine landslides, and infrequently, by eruptions of island volcanoes.
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