How would you explain the process of plate tectonics to a family member who saw a map of Pangaea and is wondering how one continent divided into several continents and other land masses merged together?
How would you explain the process of plate tectonics to a family member who saw a map of Pangaea and is wondering how one continent divided into several continents and other land masses merged together?
Applications and Investigations in Earth Science (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN:9780134746241
Author:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Publisher:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Chapter1: The Study Of Minerals
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1LR
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9. How would you explain the process of plate tectonics to a family member who saw a map of Pangaea and is wondering how one continent divided into several continents and other land masses merged together?
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Step 1
The outer shell of the earth consists of denser oceanic crust and lighter continental crust and which capped the uppermost part of the mantle. The rigid and brittle rock having a thickness of roughly 50-150Km with an average of 100Km is termed the lithosphere. The lithosphere is fragmented into segments and is termed as tectonic plates which are travels independently relative to one another.
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