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The highest, lowest and deepest points on Earth
Name: _____________________________________________ Period: _____ Date: ___________
Essential Question: How is Earth’s surface changed by plate movements?
Earth's geology and tectonics has created amazing geology and geologic features. This article
briefly describes the deepest points and the highest points on Earth.
There are actually two deepest points on Earth: the Mariana Trench
in the Pacific Ocean, and the Dead Sea in Israel.
The Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest point on
Earth at about 11 km (6.8 mi). The highest mountain above sea level,
Mount Everest, can fit neatly into the Marianas Trench with more than a
mile to spare.
The Marianas Trench is in the western North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Mariana Islands, near
Guam. The trench is actually the point where the Pacific and the
Philippine tectonic plates meet or converge ( convergent boundary ), and
the Pacific plate is forced under the Philippine plate. The Pacific plate is
denser than the Philippine plate that is why is sinks or undergo the process
of subduction. The deepest area of the Marianas Trench is Challenger
Deep, at 10,900 meters, 35,760 ft. The sea pressure at that depth is 108.6
MPa, over one thousand times the standard atmospheric pressure at sea
level. The Marianas Trench has been measured by American, British,
Soviet, and Japanese vessels using echosounding devices, pressure depth
devices, and bathyspheres.
The Dead Sea in Israel is the deepest point on land at 418 meters (1,371 feet) below sea level. The Dead Sea
is inside the Jordan Rift Valley, which was formed when the
Arabian tectonic plate moved away or diverged from the African
tectonic plate ( divergent boundary). At that time the Mediterranean
Ocean flooded the rift, but the flow of water was stopped when the
Jordan Rift Valley rose to form the prehistoric Lake Gomorrah. As
the freshwater lake evaporated and became saltier, the lake turned
into Lake Lisan. Continued evaporation has shrunken the lake into
the present-day Dead Sea, one of the saltiest bodies of water on
Earth. There are no streams that flow out of the Dead Sea, and the
Jordan River is the only river that flows into the Dead Sea.
There are two highest points: Mount Everest on the
border of Tibet and Nepal, and Mauna Kea in
Hawaii, a volcano. Mount Everest is the highest
mountain above sea level on Earth, at 8,848 meters
(29,029 feet). Mount Everest is part of the
Himalayan mountain range, and is located on the
border of Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal, and Tibet,
China. The Himalaya were formed by the titanic
collision
( convergent boundary) of the Indian
tectonic plate with the Eurasian tectonic plate 50 million years ago, causing the crust to fold and up thrust to
form the Himalayan mountains. The Indian plate is still moving, making the Himalayan mountains
http://www.helium.com/items/1131632-the-highest-lowest-and-deepest-points-on-earth
http://www.extremescience.com/dead-sea.htm
http://whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk/plates/mariana.asp
Clarifying Questions:
1. What are the deepest points on Earth?
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2. How deep is the Marianas trench?
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3. What is the highest point on Earth? It is one of the mountains in the Himalayas.
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4. Where is the Marianas trench?
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5. What is the deepest point of the Marianas trench? How deep is it?
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6. What is the deepest point on land?
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7. Where is the deepest point on land located?
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Why is the Dead Sea so salty? The Dead Sea is actually a lake. Think!
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8. What are the highest points on Earth?
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9. Where is Mt. Everest?
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10. How did the Himalayas form?
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11. What is Mauna Kea and where is it located?
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12. TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES: Choose from the following:
A.
convergent
B. divergent
____a. Marianas trench
____b. Himalayas
____c. Mt. Everest
____d. Dead Sea ( lake )
____e. Mauna Kea (Hawaiian volcano)
C. transform or strike slip
D. no plate boundary
____f. Hotspot ( Hawaii)
____g. Appalachian mountains ( West NC )
____h. Charleston fault ( South Carolina)
____i. Madrid fault
___ j. San Andreas fault ( California)
Challenge! ( 10 pts )
Why do volcanoes form near the subduction zones?
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http://bioxeocotobade.pbworks.com/w/page/52312238/Energy%20tha%20shapes%20the%20Earth%27s%20surface
a. A
b. A
c. A
d. B
e. D
f. D
g. A
h. C
i. C
j. C