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 happen, the continents will not be where they are found today and there would not be much variation in the climate; the climate throughout the whole Pangaea will be more uniform. Hence, there will be no diverse environment which allowed different organisms with different characteristics to thrive. For instance, in Madagascar, 9 out of 10 species there are only found in the place because of the unique environmental condition there (Hadhazy, 2011).
Aside from the climate, the topography of the Earth will be greatly affected. Plate tectonics gave rise to mountains and volcanoes. Plate tectonics is the reason we have earthquakes. Without volcanoes, no new sediments or rocks will come out to the Earth’s surface. Because of plate tectonics there is movement of sediment since some new materials are coming out of the surface of the earth in regions of sea floor spreading. Some materials on the other hand, are consumed in the convergent boundaries. Hence new materials arise and old materials are gone. Also, mass wasting is greatly affected. Mass wasting is the movement of Earth’s materials from the mountains to the ocean floor. Hence, without that much mountains, there will be not much mass wasting taking place either.
References
Hadhazy, A. (2011, May 13). What If the Supercontinent Pangaea Had Never Broken Up? Retrieved March 5, 2016
