Assignment:
Please use the website , the course Webliography, and Internet research to complete this project assignment. Visit the United States Geological Survey (USGS) "Dynamic Earth" website.
This weblink is also found in my course Webliography along with other plate tectonics Internet sources. Review the above website, and any other Internet global plate tectonics websites you feel will be useful for your answers to the following questions:
1) What were "Glomar Challenger" and "JOIDES Resolution"? What did they do? Why are they important to geologists? How did this technology help to prove the "theory of plate tectonics"?
2) Based on your interpretation of the maps and diagrams on the Dynamic Earth website, where are the major concentrations of the world's earthquakes? Is this distribution related to the Pacific "Ring of Fire"? Give some specific geologic locations around the ring. What major submarine geologic feature is located near the ring. Explain how earthquake distribution helps support the theory of plate tectonics.
3) What and where were the undersea hot springs (submarine geothermal vents) that were discovered and observed in 1977? What technology allowed scientists to make these observations and discoveries? What was the remarkable biological discovery at these (and later other) undersea hot springs? What type of plate boundary is located at these vent sites? What is the major submarine geologic feature formed along this plate boundary?
4) What are the geologic differences between continental plates and oceanic plates? What is the major rock type forming the deep-ocean basins? What is the major rock type forming the core of all the continents? How is this difference related to the depths of the oceans and the higher elevations of the continents? Make sure that you use specific plates as examples of each. How are the crustal plates related to the asthenosphere?
5) Sketch/diagram and label a divergent plate boundary - or - an oceanic-continental convergent (subduction) plate boundary. Make sure you show plate motion with arrows and give a geologic example location. Name some geologic hazards that occur along this boundary type.
6) What are geologic "hot spots"? Where are some prominent geological hot spots? Describe one hot spot location in detail. What are a couple of geologic events and hazards that occur at hot spots?
You must list Citations (APA-style) for research sources used. You may add graphics to enhance your answers. Make sure that all graphics used must show the source below it.