HW_Tectonics using Google Earth
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EES 0836
Tectonics using Google Earth
Disasters: Geology vs. Hollywood
Introduction
Using the knowledge you learned from this week's lecture, you will learn the basics of plate tectonics, including locations of the plate boundaries, distribution of earthquakes, and bathymetry (ocean depth) and
topography. This activity uses Google Earth, with overlays created by various members of the scientific community, and information from the USGS website, including seismic data and maps.
Learning Objective
●
Describe the location of plate boundaries using Google Earth and NOAA imagery. (3, 5, c)
●
Explain and apply the processes learned from lecture using images collected from Google Earth. (3, 5, b, d)
Figure 1: Atlantic Ocean
Shown is the mid-Atlantic
Ocean region of the globe.
The seafloor is shown, with
dark blues representing
deeper ocean water, and light
blue representing shallow
ocean water. If you look
closely, you can see a few
orange dots representing
earthquakes. Figure 1 Questions
1.
Where is the active
plate boundary
located that separates
the North American
and Eurasian/African
plates?
The plate boundary that separates the North American and Eurasian/African plates is known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, this ridge is an underwater mountain range that is indicated by the line that lays in the valley of these ranges. The North American plate is on the western side of the ridge, while the Eurasian and African plates are on the eastern side.
2.
Does your location of the active plate boundary support the idea that spreading has been relatively consistent (meaning is it symmetrical)? Explain your thinking.
The location of the plate boundary does support the idea that spreading has been
relatively consistent. If you look on both sides of this ridge, the distance to the nearest land mass is almost identical in size with the plate boundary right down the middle. I could see that if these land masses were closer together this line would be the separating factor.
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3.
Explain why you think the depth of the water shallows in this area. The depth of the water shallows in the area of the mid-Atlantic Ridge because of the type of plate boundary it is. A divergent plate boundary is where the plates of the Earth separate from one another causing magma to rise to the top and fill the separation of the Earth. This New addition of rock sits higher than the surrounding seafloor decreasing the water depth. 4.
Where would you expect that most earthquakes occur in the Atlantic Ocean?
I would assume that most earthquakes that occur in the Atlantic Ocean are along this divergent plate boundary, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The movement of these tectonic plates and the creation of new rock is often associated with or followed by an earthquake. Figure 2: Atlantic Ocean
The age of the seafloor is shown for
the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Young/recent
seafloor ages are shown by warm
colors (orange and red) and old
seafloor ages are shown by cool colors
(green).
Figure 2 Questions
1.
Describe how the seafloor age
changes as you go from the
plate boundary toward the
east coast of North America.
From the mid-Atlantic
Ridge toward the east coast of
America, the age of the
seafloor increases. This is
shown by the transition from
warm colors to cool colors indicating a younger seafloor near the ridge. This is consistent with the process of divergent plate boundaries. 2.
Is the crust being created or destroyed at this plate boundary? Is this plate boundary divergent, convergent, or transform? Explain your answer.
At the mid-Atlantic Ridge, the crust is being created. This is a divergent plate boundary where
the North American and Eurasian/African plates are moving apart from each other. New magma rises to fill the space created by the separating plates forming new a layer of crust. 3.
Do you support the concept that at one point these continents were together? Explain your answer. Yes, based on the age and location of this plate boundary and equidistant land masses from this boundary, point to the idea that these two pieces of land may have once been connected. This idea
is known as the theory of continental drift or Pangea.
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Figure 3: Aleutian Islands
The seafloor along the Aleutian Islands is shown with dark blues representing deeper ocean water and light blue representing shallow ocean water. The plate boundary is shown as a light blue line.
Figure 3 Questions
1.
Describe what happens to ocean depth from one side of the plate boundary to the other. The ocean depth along the Aleutian Islands plate boundary changes from deep to shallow.
Typically, this indicates that the ocean floor rises to form an underwater mountain range or island
arc, which is what the Aleutian Islands are.
2.
Why do you think north of the plate boundary starts deep (relative to the south of the boundary) and then shallows quickly? Explain your thinking.
The depth north of the plate boundary starts deep and shallows quickly because this is likely where two tectonic plates meet, and one is being pulled under the other.
3.
What type of plate boundary do you think this is? This plate boundary is most likely convergent where two oceanic plates converge, and one is pulled beneath the other, creating a trench.
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EES 0836
Figure 4: South America
Map of the seafloor, plate boundary, and earthquake data located just west of southern Chile, with
dark blues representing deeper ocean water, and light blue representing shallow ocean water. Also, the plate boundary is present with seismic data only on one side of the plate.
Figure 4 Questions
1.
Compare and contrast the distribution and depth of the earthquakes in this image with those from Figure 1.
Unlike Figure 1, where the earth’s crust is pulling apart, Figure 4 presents the region near
southern Chile. The plate boundary that exists here is different, where the sea floor is diving under the edge of a continent. The pattern of earthquakes shown in this image is the area where the two plates are colliding and one is going underneath the other, unlike in Figure 1 where the quakes were scattered and have two plates moving away from each other.
2.
Describe what you can tell about the depth of the earthquakes as you move from west to east.
The earthquakes get deeper the further east you go. Close to the ocean trench, where the sea floor starts to slide under the land, the earthquakes are not very deep. But as you move east, the sea floor sinks deeper into the earth. 3.
What is happening to the crust at this location? Is it being destroyed or created?
Here, the crust is being destroyed. The oceanic plate is being pulled beneath the continental plate,
leading to its eventual melting in the mantle.
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4.
What other hazard would you expect to see at this type of boundary?
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5.
Alongside earthquakes, volcanic activity is a common hazard at this type of convergent plate boundary.
Figure 5: Magma: Volcanic Disaster (2006)
A volcanologist and his graduate student believe a cataclysmic volcanic disaster is about to unfold. They need to convince the government that their theory is not a joke and should be listened to. In this screen grab, you can see that the professor uses a map to illustrate his point.
Figure 5 Questions
1.
What is the map that he is gesturing to referring to? Does this map look like any of the other images in this activity? The map the professor is gesturing to appears to be a heat map or geothermal activity map, which could indicate areas of high temperature that might be associated with volcanic activity. It does seem to resemble the other images in that it may represent data related to tectonic and volcanic activity.
2.
Do you think this map is connected to his hypothesis in any way? Explain.
If the map is showing activity or heat distribution, it could very well be connected to his hypothesis about an impending volcanic disaster. Something like this could be used to indicate rising magma and increasing volcanic activity, which are precursors to volcanic eruptions.
3.
In your opinion, do you think Hollywood has a responsibility to portray scientific information accurately? Do you think Hollywood contributes to the spread of misinformation? Hollywood often dramatizes scientific information to create engaging stories and doesn’t really hold the responsibility of portraying it accurately. While it can shed some light about potential issues it just isn’t the most realistic representation or reaction of what would actually happen.
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