Plate Tectonics Research Paper

Have you ever heard of the theory of plate tectonics? Around the beginning of the 1960s the discovery of this theory started an uprising in the study of earth sciences. Between now and then, this theory has been confirmed by scientists, who are able to formulate a much better understanding of how plate tectonics shaped the way our planet is today. It is now knows that plate tectonics has or has had at least some influence over almost all geologic processes. AS I’m sure you can imagine, the idea that the entire crust of the earth constantly shifts has dramatically altered the way we think of the planet we live on. In this essay we will look at the development of the theory of plate tectonics by ocean floor mapping, magnetic pole reversals, and seafloor spreading. First up is looking at ocean floor mapping. Nearly two thirds of the Earth's crust exist under ocean waters. No one really knew what the death of the ocean was until the 19th century. The majority of people figured that the floor of the ocean was mostly flat. Then in the 16th century, a few explorers found that the ocean floor was not flat …show more content…
Lieutenant Matthew Maury of the U.S. Navy released a bathymetric chart in 1855 that contained the first real evidence of mountains underwater in the central Atlantic ocean. After World War I was over, echo-sounding devices were invented. These “primitive sonar systems” began to measure the depth of the ocean by noting how long it took for a sound generated from a ship to bounce off the ocean floor and come back. These signals showed scientists that the floor of the ocean was much more rough than they had imagined before. These sonar measurements showed us the ruggedness of the underwater chain of mountains that became known later as the Mid-Atlantic