Tectonics College Essays Samples For Students

Plate tectonics has a tremendous effect on the Earth. Without plate tectonics, the Earth would not be like what it is today. For one, scientists believed that this is a big factor contributing to the habitability of the planet. Because of plate tectonics, there is recycling of the Earth’s materials such as carbon dioxide. From the molten rocks, these carbon dioxide are released in the atmosphere, trapping heat and creating a habitable temperature. The diversity of the species in our planet is also because of plate tectonics. If plate tectonics and the moving of the continents did not ...

Introduction to Beijing

The capital of China, Beijing, is affected the most by catastrophes. Earthquakes, floods, famines, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis are calamities that are caused by natural activities of the Earth. These calamities are referred to as natural disasters as they result in not only loss of lives, but also a tremendous number of people who are rendered and homeless. Because of their violent nature, natural disasters in Beijing have hurled people into a labyrinth from which very few are able to survive. Natural disasters beget irreparable damage to the property which lasts forever, and demand several years to overcome the ...

Hawai'i was the 50th state to join the USA. It comprises 132 islands and is said to be the home of volcanic islands. These islands reside in the Central Pacific Ocean. Moana Loa is one of the top most active volcanoes that had formed the island of Hawaii in the ocean (Networks, 2016). The movement of plate tectonics has resulted in the volcanic eruption and, however, the volcano towering and presence of valleys had a significant impact on the economic value.

Theory of plate tectonics

Plate tectonics theory explains that upper layer of the earth’s surface is segregated into various plates that ...

Introduction

Tectonic Plate refers to a massive, slab of solid rock that is irregularly shaped, and it is composed of both oceanic and continental lithosphere.

Definitions

Mid-Ocean Ridge refers to an underwater mountain range that forms due to plate tectonics. This structure is formed through two tectonic processes, ridge-push and slab pull that cause the spreading at mid-ocean ridges.
Basin and Range topography refers to structure that is characterized by sudden changes in sloping and is alternating in between the narrow chains of faulted mountain and flat arid basins or valleys. They are formed by crustal extension or extensional tectonics.
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Continental drift is an idea developed by Alfred Wegner which states that the continents are drifting away across the ocean. He also suggested the plate tectonic theory in the year 1915. The theory states that, all continents were brought together into a mass land million of years ago. The key evidence presented in this case is that, African and South American continents fit each other perfectly if they can be enjoined. In addition, it has been evidenced that similar fossils are found in different continents which implies that, at one point in time they used to be together. The distribution ...

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Introduction

In the scientific world, many radical scientific principles go through a tumultuous progression before the scientific community accepts them. This was the case with the continental drift theory, a landmark theory in geology. When it was proposed, the scientific community received the continental drift theory with ridicule. However, with time, the theory underwent a series of reinforcement from accumulating evidence in support of the theory. In the end, it emerged as the greatest geological principle of all time. The continental drift theory was the brainchild of Alfred Wegener. Alfred Wegener was a German meteorologist born in 1980. He acquired a PhD in astronomy from ...

The hydrological cycle refers to the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the earth. It mainly involves the processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, percolation, interception and runoff/overland flows. The main source of energy that drives the cycle is solar energy and therefore the main changes in energy involve changes in temperature. When surface water is heated, it gains energy and changes from liquid state to gaseous state. This results in a cooling effect to the surrounding region (Arctic Climatology and Meteorology) Transpiration also contributes in adding water vapor in the atmosphere; this is referred ...

Geographical evidence

- Fossil evidence of Glossopteris flora exists in Pennsylvania and Permian age coal deposits. This is in Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica (Trent, Hazlett and Bierman 68)
- Close fit of the continental coastlines on both sides of the continents. Presence of geological features that were originally shared between the continents. Presence of faulting that leads to the formation of faults such as the San Andreas Fault indicates that continental drift has been taking place over a long period (Holmes 629).
- Rocks had retained the record of their positions of when they were formed to indicate that ...

The Hydrologic Cycle

The global hydrologic cycle involves the change of water between three states. Water can be gaseous, like humidity in the atmosphere and the condensation in clouds, liquid as in our lakes, rivers, and oceans, or solid as in our ice caps and glaciers. Water is very complex and energy is required for it to change between the different states. Without water, biologic life could not exist.
Evaporation and transpiration return water from the liquid state into the gaseous state. It takes a lot of energy to effect this change in state. Approximately 600 calories per gram of water is ...