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Understanding Earth's Processes: Drift & Tectonics

The document discusses Earth surface processes, including weathering, erosion, and volcanic activity, as well as two main theories: Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics. Continental Drift, proposed by Alfred Wegener, suggests continents were once a single supercontinent called Pangaea, while Plate Tectonics explains the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates and their role in forming geological features. Seafloor spreading is highlighted as a process resulting from mantle convection that contributes to the creation of new crust.

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16 views6 pages

Understanding Earth's Processes: Drift & Tectonics

The document discusses Earth surface processes, including weathering, erosion, and volcanic activity, as well as two main theories: Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics. Continental Drift, proposed by Alfred Wegener, suggests continents were once a single supercontinent called Pangaea, while Plate Tectonics explains the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates and their role in forming geological features. Seafloor spreading is highlighted as a process resulting from mantle convection that contributes to the creation of new crust.

Uploaded by

laguramikaillloyd
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Earth Process

GROUP 2
Earth Process
Earth surface processes include weathering; sediment production by
weathering and biochemical or chemical precipitation; erosion,
transport, and deposition of sediment under the influence of gravity,
flowing water, air, and ice; earthquakes and Earth surface motions;
volcanic eruptions and movement of volcanic ejecta.
Two types of Earth Process
Continental Drift
Plate Tectonic
Seafloor Spreading
Continental Drift
Continental drift was a revolutionary theory explaining that continents shift position on Earth's surface. The
theory was proposed by geophysicist and meteorologist Alfred Wegener in 1912, but was rejected by
mainstream science at the time. Scientists confirmed some of Wegener's ideas decades later, which are
now part of the widely accepted theory of plate tectonics.
Wegener's continental drift theory introduced the idea of moving continents to geoscience. He proposed
that Earth must have once been a single supercontinent before breaking up to form several different
continents. This explained how similar rock formations and plant and animal fossils could exist on separated
continents. Modern science recognizes this ancient supercontinent called Pangaea did exist before breaking
up about 200 million years ago, as Wegener theorized.
Seafloor Spreading
Seafloor spreading is a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth's lithosphere—split
apart from each other.
Seafloor spreading and other tectonic activity processes are the result of mantle convection. Mantle
convection is the slow, churning motion of Earth’s mantle. Convection currents carry heat from the lower mantle
and core to the lithosphere. Convection currents also “recycle” lithospheric materials back to the mantle.
Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries. As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other,
heat from the mantle’s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. The less-dense
material rises, often forming a mountain or elevated area of the seafloor.
Eventually, the crust cracks. Hot magma fueled by mantle convection bubbles up to fill these fractures and
spills onto the crust. This bubbled-up magma is cooled by frigid seawater to form igneous rock. This rock
(basalt) becomes a new part of Earth’s crust.
Plate Tectonic
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result
of Earth’s subterranean movements. The theory, which solidified in the 1960s, transformed
the earth sciences by explaining many phenomena, including mountain building events,
volcanoes, and earthquakes.

In plate tectonics, Earth’s outermost layer, or lithosphere—made up of the crust and upper
mantle—is broken into large rocky plates. These plates lie on top of a partially molten layer of
rock called the asthenosphere. Due to the convection of the asthenosphere and lithosphere,
the plates move relative to each other at different rates, from two to 15 centimeters (one to
six inches) per year. This interaction of tectonic plates is responsible for many different
geological formations such as the Himalaya mountain range in Asia, the East African Rift, and
the San Andreas Fault in California, United States.

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