Subduction

1) Describe the two technological advances that have made it possible to better understand the dynamics of the Earth 's mantle. Two technological advances that have made it possible for scientists to better understand the dynamics of the Earth’s mantle are seismic snapshots and computer modeling. Seismic snapshots enable scientists to determine the temperature and density of the mantle. When an earthquake occurs vibrations are put into motion which create waves that can be detected by…

Amphibolite is a foliated metamorphic rock. The orientation of the foliation is 251/75. It has a gneiss foliation and stripes of minerals segregation. Minerals such as white Quartz, shinny Plagioclase, green Amphibole, and pistachio green (yellowish) epidote were seen on the fresh surface. Greenschist is coarse grained metamorphic rock that contains minerals such as yellow epidote, flakes of mica and green serpentine and chlorite. Metasediments with various colors were seen such as Quartzite…

ocean ridges and moves away from ridge axes with a motion like that of a conveyor belt as the newly formed lithosphere crust fills in the cracks or rifts. To assist the process of the newly-created lithosphere, oceanic plates return to the mantle at subduction zones, in which one plate bends and slides underneath the other, curving down into the mantle so the surface area of the Earth remains constant. In other words, seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new…

he movement of the tectonic plates causing a shaking of the Earth’s surface, is an earthquake. Seismographs are instruments that can measure the size of an earthquake, from a tremor to a major event, as they are happening almost unceasingly. Some earthquakes can cause major events like broken dams, landslides, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and destruction of cities. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015) The densest areas of the map – appendix 2 – is around Indonesia and New Zealand. This is because…

The year is 1964 and what seemed to be like any other normal day in southern Alaska turned out to be anything but. March 24th marked a turning point that would affect many lives in Alaska as well as the lives of those along the coasts of Hawaii and Oregon. It impacted society physically and economically far beyond what anyone could have ever imagined. This day also shed light and created new practices as well as new methods of anticipating future earthquakes. The Earthquake of 1964…

Lesson 1: Earthquakes and Volcanoes Layers of the Earth Earth is made up of three layers: crust, mantle and core. The outer layer is the crust, the middle layer is the mantle and the inner layer is the core. Earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into large plates that move slowly. Figure 1 shows the layers of the Earth. Figure 1: Layers of the Earth Plate tectonics The Earth's surface is formed of large pieces of rock called plates that are also called tectonic plates. These plates…

It is defined as a movement in the oceans that has a direction and is continuous. These abiotic features of the environment are created by the average or mean flow of the seawater, winds, Coriolis Effect, salinity and temperature difference, cabbeling and breaking waves. Coriolis Effect is the result of the rotating Earth. The rotating Earth changes the straight line path of the current and winds as they travel. Thus, the currents due to this in the Northern part move to the right side whereas…

Dante Arguello EES:1030:0AAA Kosloski HOUGH 2009: Kashmir Valley Megaearthquakes Summary/Importance: The Himalayan mountain range, home to Mount Everest, is one of the most well-known mountain ranges in the world. This natural occurring structure has been a very popular destination for many tourists who visit to admire the gorgeous landform from a safe distance, as well as for those who attempt to achieve their life long goal of climbing the tallest mountain on the face of the Earth. Despite the…

A tsunami is a seismic sea wave. Displacement of water forms a sequence of waves and this generally happens in an ocean or a large lake.Tsunamis are different because normal waves are caused by wind or tides, which is actually generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun. According to Source 1, the first recorded tsunami was back in 7000-6000 BCE and this was in Portugal but the primary cause is unknown. Since then there have been many tsunamis that have caused damage, two of the…

1.1 Introduction to Landslide A landslide is a geological phenomenon, which includes a wide range of ground movements, such as deep or shallow failure slopes and rock falls. See figure 1.1. 1.1.1 Factors influence Landslides Landslides occur when the stability of the slope turns from the stable state to unstable state. Most of the Landslides usually cause depend on two main factors: (i) Natural Factors and (ii) Anthropogenic Factors. (USSG, 2004) (i) Natural Factors (a) Geological…