Plate Tectonics Theory
The story of Plate Tectonics is the story of continents drifting from place to place, breaking apart, colliding, and grinding against each other (Story pp). It is also the story of terrestrial mountain ranges rising up while being pushed together, of oceans opening and closing, of undersea mountain chains girdling the planet like seams on a baseball, and of violent earthquakes and fiery volcanoes (Story pp). Plate Tectonics describes the intricate design of a complex, living planet in a state of dynamic flux (Story pp).

Examination of the globe usually results in the observation that most of the continents seem to fit together like a puzzle (Plate pp). For example, the west African coastline appears to snuggle into the eat coast of South America and the Caribbean sea, and a similar fit appears across the Pacific (Plate pp). The fit is even more evident when the submerged continental shelves…...

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Work Cited

"Plate Tectonics: The Rocky History of an Idea."

 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html 

"The Story of Plate Tectonics."

http://www.platetectonics.com/

Plate Tectonics and Landform Processes
The Aleutian Islands, Alaska

The Aleutian Islands are located along the southwestern coast of Alaska, ad at the northern edge of the Pacific plate. This plate runs along the Pacific coast of North America, with its well-known faults -- the San Andreas and the Denali -- causing the strike-slip plate motion that is familiar to residents of the Pacific coastal areas. However, at the Aleutian Island location -- a convergent boundary -- the strike-slip behavior changes to that of subduction. So, rather than the grinding of the North American plate and the Pacific plate against one another, at its northern edge, the Pacific plate drives under the North American plate. The 150 islands that make up the Aleutian arc create a sort of barrier between the Bering Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The Aleutian Islands are part of the emergent peaks…...

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References

Aleutian Islands, OceanDots.com (2011). Retrieved  http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/aleutian/ 

Island Arc Formation, Windows to the Universe, National Earth Science Teachers Association. (2011). Retrieved  http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/interior/island_formation.html 

Mosar, J. (1999). Present-day and future tectonic underplating in the western Swiss Alps: reconciliation of basement-wrench-faulting and decollement folding of the Jura and Molasse basin in the Alpine foreland, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 173, 143 -- 155. Retrieved  https://www.unifr.ch/geoscience/geology/research_sites/ 

Mosar_Research/PDFfiles/alps-presentfuture.pdf

plate tectonics is responsible for changing continental landmasses through geological occurrences.
Thousands of years ago the earth's surface has been hypothesized as one big landmass. The Earth's surface has been 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]. These plates are semi-rigid, floated on flow of mantle. The plates measured around 50 miles, thickness of 25 miles on land and 4 miles thick under the oceans. Their movement was categorized by an average of a few inches a year. Even today, geologists and tectonicists hypothesize the earth to continue this movement in similar slow manner, even if we do not notice it. The plates' movement is called the Plate Tectonic Theory, a theory presented in 1912 but upheld in 1960.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The main controversy in the Plate tectonic theory is that…...

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Bibliography

Cowen, Ron. Plate Tectonics... On Mars. Science News, May 1, 1999.

Monastersky, Richard. Is the Pacific plate tearing itself apart? Science News, Sept 5, 1998.

Blood, Peter R. Sri Lanka: Chapter 2A. Society and its Environment., Countries of the World, 01-01-1991.

Harish, Nir. Ground Control. The Sciences, Spring, 2001.

continental drift to the present to explain the plate tectonics theory and how the Earth is forever shifting. Use some examples of past and present changes in the earth and the effect they caused. A newer theory in geological history, plate tectonics is used to explain many geological changes in the Earth, both past and present, and indicates how the Earth is forever adjusting and shifting, creating uplifts and cracks in the many plates that make up the Earth's interior surface. These plates are the cause of earthquakes, and so, they are ultimately the cause of some of the world's worst disasters.
Several theories of geologic process and scientific discovery helped lead to the discovery of plate tectonics in the 1920s, and the theory was generally accepted by the 1950s. The plate tectonic theory evolved from earlier theories, beginning with continental drift. The first time continental drift was mentioned was…...

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References

Plate Tectonics. 2000. In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.

Continental Drift. 2000. In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.

Darling, D. (2001). Life everywhere: The maverick science of astrobiology. New York: Basic Books.

Morton, R.L. (1996). Music of the Earth: volcanoes, earthquakes, and other geological wonders. New York: Plenum Press.

Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Theories
It is by now universally recognized that the continents and other land masses on the earth are constantly moving, albeit at a very slow rate and have been on the move for millions of years. The land masses have collided, broken apart and drifted across the planet while floating on the fiery mantle beneath the outer layer of its crust. The Continental Drift and Plate Tectonic theories indicate that about 250 million years ago there was only one continent on earth named Pangaea

This great land mass fragmented and its parts began to move away from one another forming the great oceans in between the continents. As an extension of these theories, it can now be predicted with a fair degree of confidence that the moving Continents will one day come together again to form a single giant land mass. This paper describes the Continental…...

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References

Barry, Patrick L. (2004). "Continents in Collision." First Science.com. Retrieved on November 26, 2004 from  http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/ARTICLES/continents.asp 

Kious, W.J. And Tilling, R.I. (1999). "Developing the Theory." From the online book

This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics. USGS Website. Retrieved on November 26, 2004 from  http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/developing.html 

----------------------- -- . (1999). "Historical perspective." From the online book

d.). A researcher may determine if a rock sample is sedimentary by examining whether it consists of grains. An igneous (from the Latin word for fire) rock, known as granite, consists of minerals like quartz, mica, and feldspar. "Igneous rocks come from melted rock material, or magma, that lies under Earth's surface" ("How can you tell," n.d.), forming when magma from inside the Earth travels toward the Earth's surface, or a volcano forced it in the form of lava and ash above the Earth's surface, where it cools and crystallizes into rock. Metamorphic rocks, rocks, which may be sedimentary and igneous rocks, changed by intense heat or pressure while they form, come from hot, pressured conditions inside the Earth's crust. At times, these rocks cool and crystallize, into bands of crystals. A researcher may determine if a rock sample is metamorphic by examining the crystals to see if they are…...

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Works Cited

Continents in Collision: Pangea Ultima. (2000, October 6). 5 Dec. 2008  http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast06oct_1.htm .

How can you tell rocks on another planet apart? (N.d.). Earth and Apace Sciences. University of Washington. http://depts.washington.edu/rocknout/Lesson%20Plans/Rocks_Mars_Rover.pdf.

Kerr, Richard a. "Signs of plate tectonics on an infant Mars" Science. Washington. Apr 30. 1999. Vol. 264. lss. 5416; pp. 719-721.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. HighBeam Research. 5 Dec. 2008  http://www.highbeam.com .

Unconformities

In addition to creating joints and faults, the stresses of tectonic plate movement can also result in other types of strain. This can make it initially more difficult to obtain clear information from a geological record, but ultimately reveals a great deal more about geological history than more easily discernible features. Two primary concepts upon which the science of geology are founded are ideas that layers of rock initially occur in "flat" layers, parallel to the Earth's surface, and that younger layers of rock remain closer to the surface unless otherwise disturbed (Alden 2010). This would produce a highly conformed geological record; the unconformities that exist in reality define the disturbances of geological history.

The most obvious and earliest discovered and described type of unconformity is the angular unconformity, in which the rocks below a certain level have hall been tilted in a similar direction and sheared off at a specific…...

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References

Alden, a. (2010). "Unconformities: Gaps in the Record." Accessed 13 May 2010.  http://geology.about.com/od/geoprocesses/a/unconformities.htm 

Dutch, S. (1999). "Stress and strain: Basic terms and concepts." University of Wisconsin. Accessed 13 May 2010.  http://www.uwgb.edu/DutchS/structge/stress.htm 

ISU. (2010). "Earthquake fundamentals." Idaho state university. Accessed 13 May 2010.  http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geo/quakes/text/main.htm

theory on plate tectonics, the theory of Motion of heavenly bodies and several other theories that were developed during his lifetime.
Mathematicians Life and Works: Karl Gauss

There are many well-known mathematicians from history whose work is well-known and position widely recognised. However, there are also many lesser known mathematicians that have also made equally valuable contributions. Karl Friedrich Gauss is one of these, and as such is a worthwhile individual to study. Gauss developed many ideas and theories which are still in use today.

He is best known for his theory of plate tectonics and his work entitled "Theoria Motus Corporum Coelestium"; Theory of the Motion of Heavenly Bodies in 1809. With Wilhelm E. Weber; a physicist he also developed a theory concerning geomagnetism. Much of his work is still used today, including work in the fields of physics, astronomy, and his statistical theories are even used in software algorithms. In…...

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References

Rassias George M. (Editor), (1991), The Mathematical Heritage of C.F. Gauss, World Scientific Publishing

Schaaf W.L. (1964), Carl Friedrich Gauss Prince of Mathematicians, Franklin Watts

ibliography

Kious and Tilling, 1996, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics: USGS Special Interest Publication in: Ring of Fire, Plate Tectonics, Sea-floor Spreading, Subduction Zones, Hot Spots (nd) USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington. Online available at: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.html

Mian, Z. (1993) Understanding Why the Earth is a Planet with Plate Tectonics. R.A.S. Quarterly Journal Vol.34 No.4 Dec 1993. Online available at Harvard at: http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1993QJRAS..34..441M/0000443.000.html

Ring of Fire, Plate Tectonics, Sea-floor Spreading, Subduction Zones, Hot Spots (nd) USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington. Online available at: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.html

Scientists Watch Deepest Undersea Volcano for First Time (2009) Fox News, Science & Technology. Planet Earth. 17 Dec 2009. Online available at: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/12/17/scientists-watch-deep-sea-volcano-time/

Tilling, Heliker, and Wright, 1987, Eruptions of Hawaiian Volcanoes: Past, Present, and Future: Department of the Interior/U.S. Geological Survey Publication in: Ring of Fire, Plate Tectonics, Sea-floor Spreading, Subduction Zones, Hot Spots (nd) USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington. Online available at: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.html...

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Bibliography

Kious and Tilling, 1996, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics: USGS Special Interest Publication in: Ring of Fire, Plate Tectonics, Sea-floor Spreading, Subduction Zones, Hot Spots (nd) USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington. Online available at:  http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.html 

Mian, Z. (1993) Understanding Why the Earth is a Planet with Plate Tectonics. R.A.S. Quarterly Journal Vol.34 No.4 Dec 1993. Online available at Harvard at:  http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1993QJRAS..34..441M/0000443.000.html 

Ring of Fire, Plate Tectonics, Sea-floor Spreading, Subduction Zones, Hot Spots (nd) USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington. Online available at:

As the mantle heats and cools unevenly, areas of differing density slowly move through the mantle. As they do, these areas of density variance have effects on surface features on the crust. For instance, there is a denser mass in the mantle shaped like a mushroom thousands of miles across and rising 900 miles from the Earth's core. The gentle rise of this mass has had the immediate effect of producing the African superswell, proof that motion in the mantle can have vertical as well as horizontal effects on the crust (Gurnis 40).
The lessons learned from the African superswell have been applied with great success in other parts of the world -- such as North American and Australia. The result has been a new understanding of the inner dynamics of the Earth. The motions of the mantle account for complex uplift situations throughout the world, and a deeper understanding…...

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Works Cited

Gurnis, Michael. "Sculpting the Earth from Inside Out." Scientific American 284.3 (Mar. 2001): 40-47.

Plate-Tectonic
The earth that we live in, from the scientific study, are formed from massive materials from millions of years ago. Scientists and geologists never stop the study of every inch of the earth's composition, but up to now, questions and debates brought up issues and fascinating stories of how the earth and its components were formed.

The history and evolution of the earth, its continents, and the bodies of water, are still yet to be proved. From the history of the solar system, the earth was formed from a large amount of rocky debris that fall together to form our planet. A massive material however crashed to the earth, melted its composition, solidified later, and formed crusts that created the earth's continents.

These crusts are unfathomable, too deep to enable scientists to conduct a study of what composes them and the various chemical processes that take place underneath the crusts. Only the…...

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Bibliography

S. Ross Taylor and Scott M. McLennan. The Evolution of Continental Crust.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, January 1996 Volume 274 Number 1 Pages 76-81. http://euclid.dne.wvnet.edu/~jvg/Env105/lecture%20notes/cont_crst.html

Both, ironically, are forms of pressure that also cause heat and changes. Water for instance, is so abundant on earth that it drives much of weathering and erosion. Precipitation, acidic soil water and groundwater dissolve mineral and rocks; serpentinization from heated seawater causes destruction of volcanic rock or changes in other seabed rocks; and the presence of water and carbon dioxide change rock as well. This is the manner in which the carbon and water cycle continually interact to change rock.
Plate tectonics, on the other hand, show that there are large scale motions within the earth that move, converge, and drive materials from deep inside the earth towards the surface and vice versa. Zones within the 8 or 9 major plates (subduction zones) form slabs of crust that become embedded and then if pressured enough with heat and more pressure, contribute to the evolution of rock. In addition, one…...

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References

All About Plate Tectonics. (2010). Enchanted Learning. Cited in:

 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/Continents.shtml 

Rocks and the Rock Cycle. (2011). Windows to the Universe. Cited in:

 http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/geology/rocks_intro.html

Structural Geology and Plate Tectonics
This concerns the changes in the formation of the earth crust and mantle from the smallest to the largest, such as a series of mountains (UWYO, 2011). Conducting a study of these changes requires a conduct of fieldwork in coordination with other scientific disciplines, such as geophysics, geochemistry and petrology. The University of Wyoming has conducted such fieldwork on the different active and ancient areas of crustl and mantle changes. This fieldwork continues at present on topics, including continental and oceanic extensional tectonics, aboriginal arc-continental collisions, fault systems, crustal studies, fold and fault features and direct dating of these changes (UWYO).

These studies looked into the Archean depths in Wyoming province, the Rocky Mountain, the Alps, the Colorado River, the Carribean and the San Andres fault (UWYO, 2011). Researchers have swam and dug into thousands of meters into the ocean in order to look and obtain samples…...

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Noble, M.A. (2015). Processes that shape the surface of the earth. Vol. 11 Earth System History

and Natural Variability: Encyclopedia of Life Support System. Retrieved on July 17, 2015

from http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C12/F1-01-03/pdf

UWYO (2011). Structural geology and tectonics. Department of Geology and Geophysics:

At the American coastline, the estimated age is between 1 and 60 million years. Finally, at the borderline with the Philippine and the Australian Plates, the approximated age is somewhere between 160, up to 180, or even 200 million years.
6) the Atlantic Ocean plate is similar to that of the Pacific Ocean in the meaning that its age differs. Just like with the Pacific crust, the Atlantic crust is younger at one border, to grow older towards the middle of the ocean, and even older as it reaches the opposite border.

7) the spatial pattern of the crustal age is consistent with the theory of the plate tectonics, which argues that -- at one point in time (or even at several times) -- the entire lands on the planet were joined together (ockhounding Arkansas, 1998). The pattern of the crustal age is consistent with this theory as it reveals a…...

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References:

Orfano, F., 2010, Topography of the ocean floor, Bright Hub,   last accessed on January 6, 2011http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/civil/articles/63495.aspx 

Patchett, P.J., Samson, S.D., 2003, Ages and growth of the continental crust from radiogenic isotopes, the Crust, Vol. 3

1998, Our changing Earth, Rockhounding Arkansas, last accessed on January 6, 2011http://www.rockhoundingar.com/geology/condrift.html

Crustal age, National Geographic Data Center,   last accessed on January 6, 2011http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/WorldCrustalAge.gif 

Rocks That Exhibit Ductile Strain Were Probably Deformed
Choose one answer.

at the surface of the earth.

when they were cold.

when the stress was applied very rapidly.

at a depth within Earth at elevated temperatures.

Incorrect

If rocks exhibit ductile behavior when exposed to compressive stress, they generally will form

Choose one answer.

normal faults.

folds.

reverse faults.

joints.

Incorrect

Which of the following types of strain does not result in permanent deformation?

Choose one answer.

tension

elastic strain

plastic strain

brittle strain

Incorrect

Faults are geologic structures that result from which type of strain?

Choose one answer.

a. brittle strain

b. ductile strain

c. elastic strain

plastic strain

Incorrect

Question 5

In the Lesson 4 Topic 2 video, "Measuring Earthquake Intensity and Magnitude," you were able to see that the rupture from the 1906 earthquake traveled from mile marker 80 to mile marker 100 in 10 seconds. At what speed did the 296 miles of San Andreas Fault rupture during the 1906 earthquake?

Choose one answer.

a. 2 miles per second

b. 200 miles per second

c. 2 miles per hour

d.…...

1. The impact of earthquakes on communities and infrastructure
2. The role of technology and advancements in predicting and monitoring earthquakes
3. The relationship between earthquakes and plate tectonics
4. The psychological effects of experiencing an earthquake
5. Earthquake preparedness and response strategies
6. The history of major earthquakes and their effects on society
7. The environmental impacts of earthquakes, such as landslides and tsunamis
8. The economic consequences of earthquakes on businesses and industries
9. The cultural and societal significance of earthquakes in different regions
10. The connection between earthquakes and climate change.
11. The effectiveness of early warning systems....

Introductory Science Essay Topics for Beginners

Biology

The Role of Photosynthesis in the Food Chain: Explore the fundamental process by which plants convert sunlight into energy and its critical importance for all life on Earth.
Evolution and Natural Selection: Examine the theory of evolution, including the mechanisms of genetic variation and how it drives the diversification of species.
The Human Body and Homeostasis: Investigate the complex systems and processes that maintain stability and balance within the human body.

Chemistry

The Structure and Properties of Matter: Describe the basic components of matter (atoms, elements, molecules) and their arrangements in solids, liquids, and gases.
....