Plate Tectonics
Caleb Hendricks Period 7
The Layers
There is the core, mantle, and crust. The Crust is where we live and is made up of continental and oceanic crust. The mantle is important because it has convection currents that make the plate move. Finally the core is important because it controls earths magnetic fields.
Continental Drift
Continental drift is the movement of earths continents relative to each others making them appear to drift. This was discovered by Abraham Ortelius in 1596. This is proven by the Continents fitting together and the same fossils found on different continents.
Sea-Floor Spreading
Sea-Floor Spreading is a process that occurs at Mid-ocean Ridges, were new oceanic crust is form through volcanic activity and the further splits the pieces of oceanic crust. It was discover by Henry Hess. Sea-floor spreading helps explain continental drift with the theory of plate tectonics.
Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics is the theory that several plates glide over the earth's mantle. Convection currents in the mantle help the plate movement by Dragging the lithosphere in the direction of the currents moving them farther apart.
Plate Boundaries
There is Transform, divergent, convergent, and convergent with subduction. With transform it is two boundaries sliding past each other this makes earthquakes one example is the San Andreas fault. Divergent is the splitting of two boundaries. This causes rift valleys and mid-ocean ridges. One example is the rift valley in Iceland. Nextly, there is the Convergent, which is two plate with similar densities collide. This creates mountain ranges, one example is the Himalayas. Finally, there is the Convergent with Subduction this is between two oceanic and continental plates. This creates volcanoes and trenches, one example is the volcanoes in Hawaii.
Ring of Fire
The ring of fire is an area with a high amount of volcanic activity i the basin of Pacific ocean. This is caused by convergent with subduction boundaries. One example is in Hawaii.