Essay - Plate Tectonics Summary: This Paper Identifies and Argues That Plate...

PLATE TECTONICS

Summary: This paper identifies and argues that plate tectonics is responsible for changing continental landmasses through geological occurrences.

INTRODUCTION

***** of years ago the earth's surface has been hypothesized as one big landmass. The Earth's ***** has ***** constant motion. "Fragmented into giant sheets of solid rock that glide atop a layer of hotter, more pliable material, the globe's appearance is forever changing." [Cowen, 1999]. *****se *****s are semi rigid, floated on flow of mantle. The plates measured around 50 miles, thickness ***** 25 miles on land and 4 miles thick under the oceans. *****ir movement was categorized by an average of a few inches a year. Even today, geologists ***** tectonicists hypothesize the earth to continue this ***** in similar slow m*****ner, even if we do not notice it. The plates' movement is called the Plate Tectonic Theory, a *****ory presented ***** 1912 but upheld in 1960.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The main controversy in the Plate tectonic *****ory is ***** whether the movement of the plates has displaced landmass across ***** continents or not and whether ***** is the sole reason f***** the change of ***** ***** or it is ***** atmospheric influence. This paper will help explain how Plate Tectonics has caused changes in ***** landmasses through geological occurrences.

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Plate Tectonics

The concept ***** plate tectonic is derived from mov*****g plates or the earth crust ***** ********** original location to some o*****r parts of the world. The dynamic system of ***** plate tectonic have been responsible for the huge recycling system of the earth, by spreading ***** centers, thrusting the crust down and melting the mantle to increase or subdue some ***** of ***** ***** to change the surface [Austin et al, 1994].

Most plate tectonics evidence is found where volcanic eruptions ***** earthquakes occur. ***** chances ***** the formation of crust from ***** earthquakes is often embedded in the ocean floor as molten rocks, ris*****g out ***** the surface when ***** ***** ***** separated from the crust and not ***** a result of deposits. For example in areas around ***** Mid Atlantic Ridge, the *****s are seen to have drifted apart but new oceanic crust is formed when molten ***** rise from the mantle [Price, 1999]. The Western side of S*****h American is another example ***** change of land surface where the boundary of two plates comes tog*****her to form a heavier crust. When this *****s, it forces ***** landmass to depress, ***** the lighter continental crust. A similar example of ***** changes is the San *****ndreas Fault, belonging to the North ***** Plate and Pacific *****. In th***** case the stick slip motion of the plates is responsible for ***** eruption of ***** in Cali*****nia. Yet ***** instance of plate tectonic ***** the boundary in ***** Himalayas. The mountains are uplifted from the impact ***** ***** Asian Plate and the Indian sub continent.

Scientists around the world *****ever dispute the existent ***** of the hypothesis that the l*****mass ********** of the continents are