Assignment 2_Plate Tectonics_Chandler_Yen
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Utah Valley University *
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1010
Subject
Geology
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
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8
Uploaded by MinisterJellyfish19486
Name: Chandler Yen
Geology 1010
Assignment 2
Plate Tectonics
Instructions:
1)
Answer the ten
questions below about plate tectonics. 2)
Don’t be scared of how long this assignment looks. 3)
Hints will be provided in green italicized
text.
4)
Take your time and have fun!
Goals:
1)
Be able to identify the three types of plate boundaries.
2)
Understand the relationship between earthquakes and volcanoes with plate boundaries.
3)
Be able to draw and label the types of plate boundaries.
Background Information:
South America, the Atlantic Ocean, and Africa are a wonderfully lined up to understand the interworking’s of tectonic plates. The questions below are divided into two parts. In part 1, students interpret bathymetric (seafloor topography), topography, sea floor ages, and earthquake distributions to reinforce concepts about the different types of plate boundaries. Each student must interpret several sets of data to determine the location and type of plate boundary. Figures were created using Google Earth. Most of the data sets were downloaded from the Google Earth
Community webpage. Earthquake data are M4.5+ earthquakes that occurred Jan-June 2006 from the USGS global catalog; however more complete earthquake datasets are now available through Google Earth. In part 2, you will be drawing a cross section of crust and upper mantle from the Pacific Plate, through the Nazca Plate, the South American Plate, and into the African Plate. There is a checklist at the end of the assignment to help make sure you don’t forget what you need to have in your drawing.
Questions begin on the following page:
Part 1: Examine the following figures and descriptions to answer the follow up questions below.
Figure 1:
Shown is the mid-Atlantic Ocean region of the globe. The bathymetry of the sea floor is shown with dark blues representing deeper ocean water and light blue representing shallower ocean water. Topography of the continents is also shown with light green representing elevations near sea level and warm colors (yellow and reds) representing high elevations. Solid lines show the plate boundaries and plate names are given by orange label. Dots give earthquake locations and are colored by depth beneath the surface of the Earth (red = shallow and blue = deep). 1)
Where is the plate boundary located that separates the South American and African Plates?
In the middle wrapping between the two countries.
2)
If the boundary was not shown how might you determine the location? Please give two ways.
You would be able to see newer land formed along the boundary at a mid ocean ridge. You would also be able to tell by looking at what direction the plate is moving and the interactions at other boundaries.
3)
Where do most of the earthquakes in the Atlantic Ocean occur? And, are they shallow or deep?
Most of the them occur on the boundary line between Africa and South America and are shallow. Although, it is kind of difficult to see if there are any blue dots in the ocean.
Figure 2:
The age of the sea floor is shown for the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Young/recent sea floor ages are shown by warm colors (orange and red) and old sea floor ages are shown by cool colors (blue).
4)
Describe how the sea floor age changes as you go from the plate boundary toward the east coast of South America.
Its because of the seafloor spreading with new asthenosphere coming up, and it gets older the further from the boundary you get.
5)
Describe the relationship between sea floor age, bathymetry (look at figure 1), and the mid-Atlantic plate boundary.
They are similar in the fact that I feel like it’s a progression, figure 2 shows us the movement and figure 1
shows us the product of the movement.
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6)
Is crust being created or destroyed at this plate boundary? Is this plate boundary divergent, convergent, or transform?
Figure 2 is a divergent boundary where the aesthenosphere is cooling to form more crust.
Figure 3:
The map shows Nazca Plate that is located in the Pacific Ocean and bordered by South America. Bathymetry, plate boundaries, earthquakes, and volcanoes are shown.
7)
Is the northern portion of the plate boundary convergent, divergent or transform? What about the east, south, and west plate boundaries? Describe what you used to choose your answer.
1.Oceanic crust always sinks so the east boundary is convergent
2.The mid ocean ridge is apparent on the west boundary with light blue coloring making it divergent
3.The other two have to be transform, I’m not sure on that one but I don’t know what else it would be. The north boundary however almost looks like a divergent boundary.
8)
Do you think the Nazca plate will get bigger or smaller in the next million years? Be sure to explain your reasoning.
If both the north and the west boundaries are divergent, I would assume bigger?
9)
The edge of the Pacific Plate is often called the ring of fire. From the case study above, can you guess what type of plate boundaries are most commonly found at the edge of the Pacific Plate?
Im going to guess divergent boundaries, I think that because the aesthenosphere seems hot and firey.
Part 2:
On the topographic profile provided draw a cross section of the plates encountered along the section line A-A’ (flip this page over to see the map along which section A-A’). Draw the plates to the asthenosphere layer. Please note, your cross section does not have to be drawn to scale, it is a schematic cross section, however relative thickness differences between the oceanic and continental crust and the lithospheric mantle should be reflected in your cross-section. You may use the textbook as well as the figures above to help you.
10)
On your cross section, clearly label all the features indicated in the legend using the symbols provided with the handout. Also make sure that on your cross section you have labeled or indicated the following:
•
The names of the tectonic plates (place the name label them above the cross section and make sure you indicate with a vertical line the edges of the plate that extends from the plate boundary at the surface up in the air)
•
Draw an arrow under the plate name indicating the direction it is moving
•
Show the variations in thickness of the oceanic and continental crust.
•
Show were melting is occurring at depth and connect this melting to volcanoes or volcanic vents at the surface using an arrow from the melting area to the volcanic activity
South American
Plate
African Plate
Nazca Plate
Pacific Plate
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Key
Ocean
Mid Ocean Ridge
Continental Crust
Aesthenosphere
Lithosphere
Oceanic Crust
Student Checklist
Tectonic plates
___ plates named & labelled
___ correct plate direction is indicated
Crust, mantle, lithosphere
___ continental crust drawn where appropriate
___ oceanic crust drawn where appropriate
___ relative thicknesses of crust are properly drawn
___ mantle drawn in correctly
___ lithospheric mantle indicated
___ asthenosphere indicated
Plate Geometries
___ tectonic plates are drawn with appropriate shapes / angles
Ocean features
___ trench(es) are identified
___ mid-ocean ridge(s) are identified
Earthquakes
___ earthquake activity is labelled in all appropriate locations
Volcanoes
___ all areas of melting are properly indicated
___ volcanic arc is labelled
___ all areas of volcanic activity labelled