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Dec 6, 2023
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Lab 3: Plate Tectonics
GEOG 1113L – Introduction to Landforms Lab
Name: _____________
I.
The Saga of Supercontinents
1.Earth's advances and setbacks, as well as its explosions of life and extinction events, have been
driven by a variety of factors, including climate changes, volcanic activity, and asteroid impacts.
2.The discovery of magnetic striping on the ocean floor in the mid-20th century solidified the
theory of continental drift. The significance is that it provided empirical evidence showing that
continents move apart and come together over time.
3.The primary mechanism of plate tectonics you're referring to is called "subduction," where
oceanic crust slides under continental crust and begins to melt and mix with the mantle.
4.Kenorland was one of Earth's first supercontinents, forming around 2.7 billion years ago. It
wasn't much larger than Australia.
5.The supercontinent Rodinia existed at the same time as Earth's first animals. Initially, these
early life forms were aquatic, so they didn't live on land.
6.supercontinents discussed are Rodinia, Pannotia, Pangaea, and kenorland
7.The two major extinctions of Pangaea were likely caused by massive volcanic activity and
subsequent climate changes.
8.The continents are generally moving at a rate like the speed at which fingernails grow, which is
about a few centimeters per 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 lifecycle of Earth's tectonic plates begins with the formation of the
lithosphere, which comprises the Earth's crust and the uppermost part of the
mantle. This process often occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where hot magma rises
from the mantle, cools, and solidifies to create new oceanic crust. As plates
move, they can collide at subduction zones, leading to the destruction of one
plate as it sinks into the mantle beneath the Moho, while the other plate ages
and evolves. Over time, some plates give rise to ocean islands and large igneous
provinces through volcanic activity. This constant cycle of formation, aging, and
destruction of tectonic plates shapes our planet's surface and plays a
fundamental role in Earth's geological history.
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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. there are 5
2.Catastrophism was a previously accepted geological theory that believed all geological changes
were sudden and caused by a series of catastrophes. Uniformitarianism, on the other hand, is
the accepted theory today and is based on the principle that the geologic forces and processes
acting on Earth today are the same as those that have acted in the geologic past, with both
gradual and catastrophic changes.
1.
Alfred Wegener was convinced of continental drift due to the remarkable fit of the South
American and African continents (continents seem to fit together like puzzle pieces) and the
presence of identical fossil species along the matching coastlines of these continents.
2.
The lithosphere is thinnest at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed.
3.
Continental crust is primarily composed of granite and is less dense but thicker, while oceanic
crust is primarily composed of basalt and is denser but thinner.
4.
Alfred Wegener was unable to discover new data related to plate tectonics due to his untimely
death while crossing the Greenland ice cap.
5.
Australian polar dinosaur fossils provided evidence of the theory of continental drift. The
presence of similar dinosaur fossils on continents now separated by vast oceans suggested that
these continents were once connected.
6.
The ocean floor contains magnetic minerals like magnetite, which can distort compass readings.
7.
The magnetic minerals in volcanic rock record the direction and strength of the Earth's magnetic
field at the time the rock solidified, providing information about the past orientation of the
Earth's magnetic field.
8.
Earthquakes concentrate the most along plate boundaries, especially at subduction zones and
transform boundaries.
9.
D. Hundreds of millions of years old. Oceanic crust is relatively young compared to the age of the
Earth's formation.
10.
The deep ocean near mid-ocean ridges survives on geothermal energy, which comes from heat
generated by the Earth's interior.
11.
The Ring of Fire contains approximately 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes and is
associated with several trenches.
12.
The Himalayas were formed due to the collision of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. This
collision began around 50 million years ago and continues today.
13.
A transform boundary is a type of plate boundary where tectonic plates slide past each other
horizontally. You find them along faults, such as the San Andreas Fault in California.
14.
The East Pacific Rise is the location of the fastest rate of plate movement, where plates can move
several centimeters per year.
15.
The three techniques used to study the Earth's surface are GPS, satellite imagery, and
seismology. GPS is the best for measuring tectonic movement because it provides precise data
on the movement of Earth's crust.
16.
The Hawaiian island chain was created by a hotspot, a stationary area of volcanic activity
beneath the oceanic plate. As the plate moves over the hotspot, it creates a chain of volcanic
islands.
17.
Loihi is a seamount located south of the Big Island of Hawaii and is significant because it
represents the next potential Hawaiian island as it continues to grow.
18.
The two main sources that provide heat within the Earth are radioactive decay and residual heat
from the planet's formation.
19.
One interesting piece of information from the "Extraterrestrial plate tectonics" section is that the
concept of plate tectonics has been used to understand the geological processes on other
planets and moons in our solar system.
20.
One interesting piece of information from the "What went on before the break-up of Pangaea?"
section is the evidence of similar fossils and geological features on continents that are now
separated, which supports the theory of continental drift.
21.
One interesting piece of information from the "Plate tectonics and people" section is how plate
tectonics has influenced and shaped human understanding of the Earth and its geological
processes, ultimately leading to advancements in various fields of science.