Lab 3 Assignment_Online (1) (1)
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Lab 3: Plate Tectonics
GEOG 1113L – Introduction to Landforms Lab
Name: __Olivia Hite____
I.
The Saga of Supercontinents
1.
What has driven the Earth’s advances and setbacks, explosions of life, and its extinction events?
the movement of the continents 2.
What mid-20
th
century discovery solidified the theory of continental drift? What is the significance of this feature?
the discovery of an enormous mountain range that went through the atlantic, and as well as throughout the rest of the ocean. The movement of the Earth's seafloor moves around and thus helps the rest of the earth's features and landforms move, plate tectonics. 3.
Another primary mechanism of plate tectonics is called __subduction______, where oceanic crust slides under continental crust and begins to melt and mix with the mantle.
4.
Kenorland was one of the Earth’s first supercontinents that formed ___2.7 billion years _______ years ago and was not much bigger than ____austrailia______.
5.
Which supercontinent existed at the same time as the Earth’s first animals? Did they live on the land?
Pannotia
6.
How many supercontinents were mentioned in the video?
7
7.
What caused the two major extinctions of Pangaea?
Permian Triassic Extinction, caused by massive volcanic eruption
The second one was also caused by volcanic activity except it happened when North America began to break away from the rest of pangea 8.
How fast are the continents moving?
2.5 centimeters a year
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. The life cycle of Earth's tectonic plates can be categorized into three distinct stages: formation, aging, and destruction.
During the formation stage, the plates originate at the mid-ocean ridges, where the lithosphere undergoes a process of divergence, pushing apart in opposite directions. This separation contributes to the creation of new tectonic plates.
In the aging stage, ocean islands and large igneous provinces emerge both on land and underwater. The lithosphere, now moving consistently in a specific direction, experiences continuous transformation. Over time, geological features such as mountains and underwater formations develop as part of the aging process.
Moving to the destruction stage, changes occur at the core-mantle boundary. Lava ascends from the depths and reaches the surface, forming volcanoes. The lithosphere tilts downward, leading to the eruption of these volcanoes, which can potentially impact the surrounding areas and ecosystems.
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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!)
17
2.
Explain the difference between the previously accepted geological theory, “catastrophism” and the accepted theory of today, “uniformitarianism”. The previously accepted geological theory, catastrophism, said that Earth's geological features were primarily shaped by sudden and catastrophic events, such as floods or earthquakes. However, the currently accepted theory, uniformitarianism, suggests that geological processes occur gradually over long periods.
3.
What are two reasons Alfred Wegener was convinced of continental drift?
The first was because of how remarkably South American and African continents fit together, and the second being that the same fossils were found both in South America and Africa. 4.
Where is the lithosphere thinnest?
Mid ocean ridges 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 materials and is less dense and thicker compared to the oceanic crust which is composed of basaltic materials which are more dense and thinner.
6.
What new data was Alfred Wegener unable to discover because of his untimely death?
He was not able to explain the ways in which the continents moved because there was little advancements with plate tectonics and the discovery of mid-ocean ridges before he died
7.
What did the Australian polar dinosaur fossils provide evidence of?
That Australia actually was very far from the equator at one point and eventually moved to a warmer climate 8.
The ocean floor contains what magnetic mineral that can distort compass readings?
magnetite
9.
What sort of data does this mineral (from question 8) provide when observed in a volcanic rock?
It tells us about the Earth’s magnetic history and the orientation of these particles in volcanic rocks can reveal details about the Earth’s magnetic fields in the past
10.
Where do earthquakes concentrate the most?
along tectonic plate boundaries 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?
chemical energy that comes from a process called chemosynthesis 13.
How many trenches are a part of The Ring of Fire?
15
14.
What caused the formation of the Himalayas and when?
They formed between 40 and 50 million years ago, and they formed because two gigantic land masses collided 15.
What is a transform boundary and where do you find them?
This is the zone between two plates that are sliding horizontally past one another, they can be found on the seafloor
16.
What and where is the fastest rate of plate movement?
The East Pacific Rise has some of the fastest movements, being about 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?
bathymetric mapping, magnetic striping, and seismic monitoring. Of these, magnetic striping is best for measuring tectonic movement 18.
What created the Hawaiian island chain?
A hotspot in the Earth’s mantle 19.
What is the significance of Loihi?
It is an underwater volcano located off the coast of the biggest island in Hawaii. It is significant because it is active and has the potential to form an island
20.
What two main sources provide heat within the earth?
Radiogenic Heat and Primordial heat
21.
In your own words, what is one piece of information you found interesting from the “Extraterrestrial plate tectonics?” section?
I found it very interesting that Venus might still have active movement. Even though the strong evidence is lacking I think it is a really cool concept to think about. 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?
One piece of information I found interesting in this section is the fact that present day oceanic crust is about 55 million years old. This definitely makes sense but is so fascinating. 23.
In your own words, what is one piece of information you found interesting from the “Plate tectonics and people?” section?
This is not particularly a piece of information but as I was reading this section it dawned on me how advanced humans are because we can survive and overcome such natural disasters. Of course there is great loss however it is insane that we can overcome this loss and still keep going
as a species despite such great events.