Science
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- Date Submitted: 05/14/2011 03:24 PM
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Earthquakes and fault lines
Baney, Robert
Hill, Heather
SCI/245
4/24/2011
Scientists and geologists have a pretty good understanding of how the plates move and how this is related to earthquake activity. There are four different types of plate boundaries. First we have Divergent boundaries, where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. Second we have Convergent boundaries and this is where the crust is destroyed as one plate is forced under another. Third we have the transform boundaries and this is where the crust is not created or destroyed as the plates slide horizontally past the other. Last we have Plate boundary zones where broad belts in which boundaries are not well defined and plate interactions are not clearly understood. The best known divergent boundaries is the mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is a submerged mountain range, which extends from the Arctic Ocean down South of Africa. This mountain range has been spreading apart for millions of years, which allows new magma to surface thus increasing the size of the mountains 2.5 centimeters each year. The two plates involved here are the American and the Eurasian plates and they are separating Iceland. The convergent boundaries are where the crust is being destroyed at about the same rate as it is being replaced in other areas of the world. These boundaries are long and deep trenches in the ocean and it are created by one plate being forced under another. These areas include the ring of fire which is a geographic region that has volcanoes that are active and are subject to earth quakes. Transform boundaries is a zone between two plates that are sliding horizontally past one another. Most of these areas we are discussing are found under the ocean.
Because all these zones contain moving plates they tend to bump into one another or make contact. When this happens we have earthquakes, this is where friction builds up under immense pressure and then is released all at one time....
Baney, Robert
Hill, Heather
SCI/245
4/24/2011
Scientists and geologists have a pretty good understanding of how the plates move and how this is related to earthquake activity. There are four different types of plate boundaries. First we have Divergent boundaries, where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. Second we have Convergent boundaries and this is where the crust is destroyed as one plate is forced under another. Third we have the transform boundaries and this is where the crust is not created or destroyed as the plates slide horizontally past the other. Last we have Plate boundary zones where broad belts in which boundaries are not well defined and plate interactions are not clearly understood. The best known divergent boundaries is the mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is a submerged mountain range, which extends from the Arctic Ocean down South of Africa. This mountain range has been spreading apart for millions of years, which allows new magma to surface thus increasing the size of the mountains 2.5 centimeters each year. The two plates involved here are the American and the Eurasian plates and they are separating Iceland. The convergent boundaries are where the crust is being destroyed at about the same rate as it is being replaced in other areas of the world. These boundaries are long and deep trenches in the ocean and it are created by one plate being forced under another. These areas include the ring of fire which is a geographic region that has volcanoes that are active and are subject to earth quakes. Transform boundaries is a zone between two plates that are sliding horizontally past one another. Most of these areas we are discussing are found under the ocean.
Because all these zones contain moving plates they tend to bump into one another or make contact. When this happens we have earthquakes, this is where friction builds up under immense pressure and then is released all at one time....