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Plate Tectonics. By Amy Jo Jarboe. History of Pangaea. Alfred Wegener first thought of the theory of Pangaea. He believed that all the continental land masses were in a gigantic supercontinent known as Pangaea . He made a book called The Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere .
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Plate Tectonics By Amy Jo Jarboe
History of Pangaea • Alfred Wegener first thought of the theory of Pangaea. • He believed that all the continental land masses were in a gigantic supercontinent known as Pangaea. • He made a book called The Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere. • He also studied volcanoes, which really helped with his theory of pangaea • Arthur Holmes invented a theory around the same time. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html
History of Pangaea Cont. • The theory of a “super continent was not originally excepted by scientists, but as they researched more, they realized it was quite possible. • Pangaea lasted during the Permian and through the Jurassic period, when it started to break up. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html
History of Pangaea Cont. • Pangaea is Greek for “All Earth” • Eduard Suess helped recognize Wegener’s theory. He had discovered that there had once been a land bridge connecting all the continents except North America. • He found a fossilized plant, Glossopteris, found in many countries, which means that they were all connected at some point, proving Wegener’s theory. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html
Convergent Boundaries • Convergent Boundaries are plates moving in opposite directions that meet. One is pulled underneath the other. • Another term for a boundary being pulled underneath another is subduction. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Convergent Boundaries • You may find a Convergent boundary where there is a volcano, a mountain-looking thing that sends out lava and ash. Another sign may be Earthquakes, a bunch of vibrations in the Earth’s atmosphere. • A third sign is a land slides, when soil and other things fall down a hill, or avalanches. http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Convergent Boundaries • The Aleutian Trench is a good example of this. • This is where the Pacific Plate is getting pulled under the North American plate. • A Trench is a deep depression in the ocean that is narrow and very deep. http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Divergent Boundaries • Divergent Boundaries- Adjacent plates that are getting pulled apart. • They are also known as spreading plates. • The pulling apart causes sea floor spreading. http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Divergent Boundaries • You may find a divergent boundary where there is a mid ocean ridge. • . The divergent boundary is most likely underwater. http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Divergent Boundaries • The Mid Atlantic Ridge is a good example of this. • To the North, it divides the Eurasian plate and the North American plate. • To the South it separates the African plate from the South American plate. http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Transform Boundaries • Transform boundaries do have some problems though. • They cause mudslides, where mud and other debris goes down a hill. • All three types cause mountains. • A mountain is an elevation on the Earth’s crust. http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Transform Boundaries • Transform Boundaries are plates that slide past each other. • Boundaries are the limits something can move. • Plates are large areas in the lithosphere that react to tectonic movement. http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate2.htm
Real World Connections • We live on the North American Plate. • The only one the USA is a part of is the North American Plate. • The ones near it are Juan De Fuca, and the Pacific Plate. • We, personally are not in very much danger (from earthquakes, etc.) • There are areas that are, however. • Such as California, and Pennsylvania, for example. http://geology.com/plate-tectonics.shtml http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/geosurvey/html/geo_f03/tabid/8307/Default.aspx
Real World Connections • In the very distant future, I anticipate: • The U.S. will move. Not very fast, but it will move. • We will collide with another plate and cause anything from an earthquake, to a deep ocean trench • The continents will grow closer together, causing us to possibly go through another continental drift, but in reverse. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/OhioGeologicalSurvey/GeologyTopics/GeologicHazards/tabid/7902/Default.aspx