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302012011572088f 6 - Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
302012011572088f 6 - Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
SUPERCONTINENT
A supercontinent is the assembly of most or all the Earth’s continental blocks
to form a single large landmass. A supercontinent cycle is the breakup of one
supercontinent and the development of another. Pangaea, last supercontinent.
Pangaea
The Asia
Supercontinent North
Panthalassa America
250 Million
Ocean Asia
Years Ago
North Europe Europe
Tethys Sea
America
m
Panthalassa
co
Equator Ocean
l.
ai
Africa &
South Arabia
@
Arabia
America
00
South
28
America India
ar
gw
India
an
Panthalasa
g
in
Ocean Australia
Antarctica
ch
Australia
Antarctica
sa
1
EVIDENCE
Evidences
Evidences
Jig-Saw fit - The shorelines of Africa and South America facing each other have
a remarkable and unmistakable match.
Rock of same age across ocean - The belt of ancient rocks of 2,000 million years
m
co
l.
Placer deposit - The occurrence of rich placer deposits of gold in the Ghana coast
28
ar
gw
Tidal force – due to the attraction of the Moon and the Sun was the main reason
given by Wegener for the westward movement of the Americas.
2
CONVECTION CURRENT THEORY
Ridge
portion. Inner
Core
Continent
Subducting
co
plate
Rising magma
an
x-x-x- Earthquake
in
PLATE TECTONICS –
Term plate was first used by Tuzo Wilson. Hypothesis of plate tectonics was first
outlined by W.J. Morgan in 1967.
There is spreading of sea floor and new oceanic crust is being continually
created at the active mid-oceanic ridges and destroyed at trenches.
3
The amount of crust consumed almost equals the amount of new crust created.
AR PLA
PH LAT
AB TE
East Pacific CA
RI
IA
ILI E
PL BBE
P
Rise
N
AT AN
PP
SCOTIA
60o PLATE Divergent Boundary
m
0 2000 6000 Km
Convergent Boundary
co
l.
90o 180o 0o
gm
@
00
28
ar
TYPES OF BOUNDARIES –
gw
gan
in
ch
Volcanoes
Ridge (voicanic arc) Trench
Earthquakes within crust
*
*
*
Lithosphere
*
Asthenosphere *
*
Earthquakes
4
TYPES OF CONVERGENT BOUNDARIES –
Oceanic-Oceanic convergence
Cooler, denser oceanic lithosphere
c
ch
sinks beneath the warmer, less
ar
en
nd
Tr
la
denseoceanic lithosphere. Oceanic crust
Is
Continental
Oceanic-Continent convergence
ch
Volcanice
Dense oceanic lithosphere subducts
en
arc
Tr
beneath the less dense continental Oceanic crust
lithosphere. Continental crust
lithosphere.
Accretionary wedge forms on the Asthenosphere
continental crust
Continent-Continent convergence
m
au
ng
co
ra
Plate
ain
l.
t
is much lower than the mantle,
ai
una
gm
Mo High
@
colliding plates
Exogenic forces – external forces caused by events occurring outside the earth
Endogenic forces – internal forces caused by events occurring inside the earth.
5
FORCES WHICH AFFECT THE EARTH’S CRUST
Endogenetic Forces
Exogenetic Forces
Faulting
Warping Folding
forces. Faulting is a process under which rocks are forcefully broken with
gw
an
accompanying displacement.
g
in
ch
sa
DENUDATIONAL PROCESSES
Gravitational/
DRIVING/
FORCE/ Molecular Stresses/ Gravitational Kinetic Energy
ENERGY and/or Chemical Force
Actions
6
Weathering – mechanical disintegration or chemical decomposition
of rocks in situ by different geomorphic agents.
7
Mass movement - Mass movement or mass wasting is the term used for the
movement of material down a slope under the influence of gravity.
Factors favouring mass movement are: (i) weathering; (ii) rock composition;
(iii) texture and structure of material; (iv) slope gradient; (v) extent of
lubrication.