Assignment Questions - Plate Tectonics
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Florida Gateway College *
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Course
GLY 1001
Subject
Geology
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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2
Uploaded by MasterAnt11429
1)
What evidence did Wegner use to support his idea of continental drift?
a.
Wegener supported his theory by demonstrating the biological
and geological similarities between continents. For instance,
fossils of animals only found on two continents, such as South
America and Africa, existed on both continents.
2)
Briefly compare the lithosphere, asthenosphere, crust, mantle, and
tectonic plate.
a.
The lithosphere is the outermost rigid layer of a planet's rocky
shell, containing the crust and upper mantle.
b.
The mechanically weak and ductile region of the Earth's upper
mantle is located beneath the lithosphere.
c.
The earth's crust is a thick outer shell of rock on a terrestrial
planet.
d.
The mantle, the most massive layer of a planetary body, is
composed of rock and is bounded below by a core and above by
a crust.
e.
Tectonic plates are large shifting plates that compose the Earth's
lithosphere.
3)
Name the three types of subduction or convergent boundaries and give
an example of where you can find each on Earth.
a.
Ocean-ocean boundaries- two tectonic plates converge in
western North America.
b.
Ocean-continent boundaries- oceanic plate collides with
continental, South America
c.
Continent- continent boundaries- two continents collide: the
Indian plate with the Eurasian plate.
4)
How has paleomagnetism played a role in understanding plate
tectonics?
a.
Seafloor spreading causes new crustal material to push old
crustal material away from the ridge, as evidenced by the
oceanic crust.
5)
Describe the geographical position of volcanoes concerning the trench
for the three types of convergent boundaries. Why does it occur where
it does?
a.
Volcanoes at convergent plate boundaries are found all along the
Pacific Ocean basin, primarily at the edges of the Pacific, Cocos,
and Nazca plates. Trenches mark subduction zones. The
cascades are a chain of volcanoes at a convergent boundary
where an oceanic plate is subducting beneath a continental
scale.
6)
How do hotspots help our understanding of plate tectonic theory?
a.
Hot spots are caused by extreme heat emanating from the deep
within the planet. This heat results in the melting of the mantle
in that specific region. The melted magma then rises and breaks
through the crust, forming a volcano. Although the hot spot
remains anchored in one location, connected to its deep source
of heat, the tectonic plate above it moves gradually over time.
7)
Why is the ocean floor no older than 200 million years when the
continent is up to 3.8 billion years old?
a.
This is because oceanic crust is eventually destroyed in
subduction zones- all of the sea floor is older than 200 million
years but has been recycled by plate tectonics.
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