Lab 9 lithosphere (2)
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Cochise County Community College District *
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Course
101
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by ColonelArt12555
Dakota Barrowclough
Physical Geography G101
Cochise College
Lithosphere
Lab 9
Chapters 9 and 10 are concerned with Earth’s lithosphere. Rather than a traditional lab, week 9
lab grade will be two part. Part one consists of watching a 45 minute video about a tectonic
event being uncovered in the geohistorical record and then answering the questions below.
Part two will require you to visit a website maintained by the
Smithsonian Institution Global
Volcanism Program and the USGS. There they report weekly global volcanic activity. Follow the
instructions under part two below to navigate the website. Lab 10 will return to a more
traditional style. Both labs are relevant to both chapters.
Part 1
“Earth’s Deadliest Eruption”
Please watch the 45 minute video here:
https://fod-infobase-com.cochise.idm.oclc.org/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=42706&tScript=0)
and then answer the questions below. (You may want to read the questions prior to watching
the video.)
1. Where is Siberia located and how large is it (area) compared to the continental United States?
Siberia is located in Russia and is 50% larger then the United States.
2. How many millions of years ago did the coal of the Siberian Traps form?
About 250 million years ago.
3. What type of volcanic rock covers most of Siberia and where did this rock originate from?
Basaltic lava
4. How big are the Siberian Traps compared to the lava flows of the big island of Hawaii?
500,000 times bigger
5. When did the Siberian Traps eruptions start and how long did the flows last?
About 250 million years ago and it lasted around 2 million years
6. Since most volcanic eruptions happen at plate boundaries and the Siberian Traps are in the
middle of a continent, what is the geologic explanation for the eruption of the traps?
The earths lithosphere plates moving
7. What was the environment in ancient Siberia like before the traps began to erupt?
8.
What texture of the flood basalts tell geologist that the rocks had gasses trapped inside of
them?
9. What do the dead trees near Mammoth Mountain in California prove to the scientists?
10. How do the scientists use the ginko trees to determine the amount of carbon dioxide?
11. How does excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause the planet to heat up?
12. How do the mudstones 8000 miles away from Siberia prove that the Earth was warming up
and drying out?
13. How do the fossils found in Africa prove that the atmosphere had become toxic?
14. What does the extinction zone found in the dolomite mountains prove about conditions in
Earth’s oceans?
15. What happens to the oceans that cause much of the sea life to perish?
16. How do the ancient coal deposits intensify the drastic conditions taking place in Siberia.
17. How does large amounts of methane gas change the global climate?
18. What is the other major source of methane on planet Earth?
19. What happened to the hot spot mantle plume after it created the Siberian Traps?
20. What percentage of life went extinct due to the eruption of the Siberian Traps?
About 95%
Part 2
Recent Volcanic Activity:
Volcanic activity occurs worldwide at the margins of tectonic plates and at hot spots. The
Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program and the USGS report weekly global volcanic
activity.
Copy and paste the following URL:
https://volcano.si.edu/reports_weekly.cfm
When the page opens it should open on the weekly reports page. Answer the following questions.
1. On which continent(s)is volcanic activity occurring according to the map?
North America, South America and Asia
2. Scroll down the page. List the new volcanic activity locations and list at least 3 locations of
ongoing activity.
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Central Kamchatka (Russia), Tonga Ridge, Central Kamchatka (Russia). Kyushu (Japan),
Eastern Java, Mexico
3. Click on a volcano of your choice under "on going" List the city, country, volcanic region,
latitude and longitude and dates of recent activity.
Kyushu Japan.
4. For your chosen volcano, state whether it is located on a tectonic plate boundary or a hot spot.
You may have to cross reference to maps presented in the lecture or you can do an internet search
for a map of tectonic boundaries and hotspots.
5. Click on "Volcano Profile." for this volcano. Then summarize its eruptive history. How long
has it been erupting (years)? How many months is there data for? When was its most violent
eruption? (Use the tabs for eruptive history, emission history, and bulletin reports).