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Transcript
Plate Tectonics Tectonics - study of the origin & arrangement of the structural features of the Earth’s surface, including folds, faults, mountain belts, continents, & earthquake belts Continental Drift - movement of continental masses across the Earth’s surface Sea Floor Spreading - new lithosphere material (i.e. oceanic crust & upper mantle material) is being added along a series of mountain ranges on the ocean floor Plate Tectonics - term used to encompass the totality of the process Alfred Wegener - German meteorologist, considered to be the pioneer of modern continental drift theory. In 1915, he published his theory based on a 1912 lecture: ~200 million y.a.: all the continental mass was one large continent, Pangaea ~150 million y.a.: it began to break up ~140 million y.a.: India separated ~50 million y.a.: Australia & Antarctica separated Relative Dating - via fossils; can only tell if one assemblage is younger or older than the other but not the actual age Absolute Dating - via radioactive isotopes; can give the age of rocks to within 2-3% of their actual age Magnetic Dip Polar Wandering Polarity Reversal Subduction Zone - place where one plate goes under another Hot Spot - area of volcanic eruptions & high heat flow; it is believed that 50-120 hot spots exist with the majority located away from plate boundaries ex: Hawaii, Yellowstone, Iceland (near a plate boundary)