Plate tectonics
The theory of plate tectonics is a philosophy that states that continents are disconnected from
each other alongside the seafloor spreading areas. This scientific theory proposes that the earth’s outer solid layer, also known as the lithosphere, consists of large plates that converge and diverge with each other due to magma convention and changes in the lithosphere.
Evidence of tectonic plate theory is found in geographic features such as complementary
coastlines, fossils, and glaciers, informing scientists that plates once fitted each other. Similar geothermal activities and geological formations located on different continents are evidence of tectonic plates and historic land connection.
Earth geologic activities occur at plate boundaries, which consists of divergent, convergent,
and transform boundaries. For example, volcanic activities causing earthquakes tend to take place at a divergent boundary. Fossils of a similar class of animals and plants tend to be found in zones that are intermediate to the divergent boundaries.
Paleomagnetic further examines the earth’s past magnetic field, which entails
polar variations and continental drift. The study shows that the magnetic north pole was moving around the globe. This fact supports the notion of plate tectonics given that the north pole usually is fixed except times of magnetic reversals.
The seven major crustal plates occupying the earth’s surface are South America, Africa, Indo-
Australian, Antarctica, Pacific, Eurasian, and North America. These plates can contain land, while others are located underwater or consist of a mixture of both. These tectonic plates consist of oceanic and continent crusts. Six of the continents, except the pacific plate, are named after the continent they occupy.
The major driving forces for the earth’s plates are ridge push and slab pull. These are gravity forces
that move the tectonic plates, with internal earth heat as the energy source.
Plate tectonics is a unifying theory that explains the formation and occurrences of several unrelated
geographical phenomena. For example, it demonstrates that earthquakes occur when tectonic plates meet in cracked earth crusts consisting of fault lines. Volcanoes occur on land when a tectonic plate moves beneath another plate. Ocean plates usually descend into the mantle when a heavy oceanic plate moves under a denser continental plate. Mountain Ranges formation involves a convergent boundary between two tectonic plates, which causes blocks of continental layers to collide with one another.
Deep Ocean trenches are formed through subduction, which involves the convergence of two
or more tectonic plates with the older and denser plate being pushed underneath the thin plate, resulting in the v-shaped depression in the outer crust and seafloor. Mid-Ocean Ridge is a seafloor mountain range submerged underwater and is formed when plate tectonics are altered continuously with heat being released from the earth’s deep parts. Island Chains are formed when tectonic plates slide over hot spots with mantle substance swelling and exploding on the plate’s surface to create a volcanic island.
The advancement of plate tectonic theory is an impeccable example of scientific method. The
scientific method is defined as the tread followed by scientists to create an aspect that is reliable, consistent, and accurate. A hypothesis is, on the other hand, a limited explanation of a particular occurrence or phenomenon. A theory tends to explain extensively observed phenomenon and involves repeated testing. By contrast, scientific laws are pillars of science and consist of statements comprehensively supported by experimental evidence and observations.