Geology and The Earth Part 2
Geology and The Earth Part 2
Geology and The Earth Part 2
Lecture
Earth is the third planet from
the Sun and the only astronomical
object known to harbor life.
According to radiometric
dating estimation and other
evidence, Earth formed over 4.5
billion years ago.
Troposphere (0 km - 13 km)
Ozone Layer (13 km - 25 km)
Stratosphere (25 km - 50 km)
Mesosphere (50 km - 75 km)
Thermosphere (75 km - 700 km)
Exosphere (700 km – 10,000 km)
The Solid
Earth
The Solid
Earth
Continental Drift
Today, most people know that
landmasses on Earth move
around, but people haven’t
always believed this. It wasn’t
until the early 20th century
that German scientist Alfred
Wegener put forth the idea
that the Earth’s continents
were drifting. He called this
movement Continental Drift.
Continental Drift
Wegener came up with this idea
because he noticed that the coasts of
western Africa and eastern South
America looked like puzzle pieces,
which might have once fit together
and then drifted apart. Looking at all
of the continents he theorized that
they had once been joined together
as a supercontinent (which was
later called Pangaea) around 225
million years ago.
Continental Drift
Pangaea
Pan Gaia
(Entire) (Earth)
Fossil Evidences
Fossils of similar types of plants and
animals in rocks of a similar age
have been found on the shores of
different continents, suggesting that
the continents were once joined.
Plate Tectonics
Tectonic plates are pieces of the lithosphere and crust, which float
on the asthenosphere.
Plate Tectonics
There are currently seven plates that
make up most of the continents and
the Pacific Ocean. They are:
1. African Plate
2. Antarctic Plate
3. Eurasian Plate
4. Indo-Australian Plate
5. North American Plate
6. Pacific Plate
7. South American Plate
Plate Tectonics
Tectonic plates not only move
land masses (continental crust),
but also oceans (ocean crust).
Since the plates are floating on
liquid rock, they are constantly
moving and bumping against each
other. This means that the sizes
and positions of these plates
change over time.
Plate Tectonics
Tectonic plates are able to move
because of the lithosphere but are
moving at a very slow rate.
Volcano
When two oceanic plates diverge (pull apart), undersea volcanoes are formed.
Volcanoes are caused by cracks in the Earth’s crust. An example of this is the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge, which extends from the Arctic Ocean to beyond the southern tip of
Africa. There are so many volcanoes in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and they are so large,
that it is considered the longest mountain range in the world. Iceland is located on this
ridge.
Mountains and Volcanoes
Mountain
When two continental plates converge on land (collide into each other), mountains are
formed. This is because both of the plates, which are similarly dense, will push up
against each other, causing the rock to get all folded and bunched up. The crust in the
region of a mountain is thicker than the surrounding crust. The Himalayan
Mountains are the result of this type of process.
Mountains and Volcanoes
When an oceanic plate converges with a continental plate, the oceanic plate will move
under the continental plate (subduction) because it is denser. The oceanic plate may go
deep enough under the continental plate and into the mantle that it melts and
forms magma. Increased pressure from beneath the Earth can build up and cause the
magma to seep up through weak spots in the crust. Magma under high pressure sometimes
comes through volcanic vents in the form of flowing lava, forming a volcanic cone.