One of the subfields of seismology is to study how and why earthquakes occur. Predicting and projecting when, how, and why earthquakes occur can save millions of lives, while also saving billions in public taxpayer funds to rebuild after the damage. There are several types of gravitational forces that occur within the earth and cause earthquakes, such as plate tectonics and seafloor spreading. Understanding these actions can allow us to have better understanding of the causation of earthquakes. Plate tectonics is the theory that states Earth’s outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the rocky inner layer of Earth called the mantle. The theory began in the 1950s, as it became the modernized version of continental drift, which had been put forth by Alfred Wegener. The entire earth rests on these plates, as shown by the picture to the left, and the constant friction between is the primary cause of earthquakes, volcanoes, oceanic trenches, mountain range formation, and many other geologic phenomenons. How these deformations manifest themselves on the earth depends on how the interaction of two plates occurs at their boundaries. Each type of plate movement, divergent, lateral and convergent, generates distinct geologic processes and landforms.
At divergent boundaries, two oceanic plates separate, forming a narrow rift valley on the seafloor, leading to seafloor spreading. As the plates separate along the boundary, the block between the faults cracks and drops down into the asthenosphere. The sinking of the block forms a central valley called a rift. Magma seeps upward to fill the cracks. Thus, at divergent boundaries, oceanic crust is created when the magma that comes from within the Earth’s mantle interacts with the sea along a mid-ocean ridge. The mid-ocean ridge, the Earth’s longest mountain range, is a 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles) long and 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) wide divergent boundary. [3] In Iceland, one of the most geologically active locations on Earth, the divergence of the North American and Eurasian plates along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge can be observed as the ridge rises above sea level. [3] However, at convergent boundaries, plates collide with one another. The collision buckles the edge of one or both plates, creating a mountain range or subducting one of the plates under the other, creating a deep seafloor trench. At convergent boundaries, continental crust is created and oceanic crust is destroyed as it subducts, melts, and becomes magma. Convergent plate movement also creates earthquakes and often forms chains of volcanoes. The highest mountain range above sea level, the Himalayas, was formed 55 million years ago when the Eurasian and Indo-Australian continental plates converged. The Mediterranean island of Cyprus formed at a convergent boundary between the African and Eurasian plates. [3] Hardened mounds of lava, called pillow …show more content…
However, each individual type of plate movement is a concern for scientists and should be for the public at large as well. Plate tectonics affect the very land we walk and live on, and can cause billions of dollars in damage. It also creates new land among the ocean floor and thus makes the surface of the Earth much greater. Although scientific efforts have been made to attempt to predict and project when earthquakes can occur, they are still nowhere near close enough to find an answer and thus help avoid potential
At divergent boundaries, two oceanic plates separate, forming a narrow rift valley on the seafloor, leading to seafloor spreading. As the plates separate along the boundary, the block between the faults cracks and drops down into the asthenosphere. The sinking of the block forms a central valley called a rift. Magma seeps upward to fill the cracks. Thus, at divergent boundaries, oceanic crust is created when the magma that comes from within the Earth’s mantle interacts with the sea along a mid-ocean ridge. The mid-ocean ridge, the Earth’s longest mountain range, is a 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles) long and 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) wide divergent boundary. [3] In Iceland, one of the most geologically active locations on Earth, the divergence of the North American and Eurasian plates along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge can be observed as the ridge rises above sea level. [3] However, at convergent boundaries, plates collide with one another. The collision buckles the edge of one or both plates, creating a mountain range or subducting one of the plates under the other, creating a deep seafloor trench. At convergent boundaries, continental crust is created and oceanic crust is destroyed as it subducts, melts, and becomes magma. Convergent plate movement also creates earthquakes and often forms chains of volcanoes. The highest mountain range above sea level, the Himalayas, was formed 55 million years ago when the Eurasian and Indo-Australian continental plates converged. The Mediterranean island of Cyprus formed at a convergent boundary between the African and Eurasian plates. [3] Hardened mounds of lava, called pillow …show more content…
However, each individual type of plate movement is a concern for scientists and should be for the public at large as well. Plate tectonics affect the very land we walk and live on, and can cause billions of dollars in damage. It also creates new land among the ocean floor and thus makes the surface of the Earth much greater. Although scientific efforts have been made to attempt to predict and project when earthquakes can occur, they are still nowhere near close enough to find an answer and thus help avoid potential