Wegener's theory also provided an alternate explanation for the formation of mountains (orogenesis). The theory being discussed during his time was the "Contraction theory" which suggested that the planet was once a molten ball and in the process of cooling the surface cracked and folded up on itself. The big problem with this idea was that all mountain ranges should be approximately the same age, and this was known not to be true. Wegener's explanation was that as the continents moved, the leading edge of the continent would encounter resistance and thus compress and fold upwards forming mountains near the leading edges of the drifting continents. The Sierra Nevada Mountains on the Pacific coast of North America and the Andes on the coast of South America were cited.
How to predict an volcanic eruption Ground Deformation Ground deformation is the change in shape that happens before during or after a volcanic eruption. This happens because the sides of the volcano change shape because the magma in many ways to measure the change of shape of the volcano, like leveling, triangulation and more recently using continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS). It is also possible to use lakes as large tilt meters. Tilt meters measure the tiny degrees of tilt or slope on land. This is one of the oldest methods of knowing when ground deformation was caused because of rising lava.
But now due to the global distribution of these major plates it has been proposed by Wegener and his successors that convection currents in the mantle are the cause of the movement of plates. And it is through the movement of these large plates that cause many different processes that can each affect the landscape in its own way. Fold Mountains: When there is collision between two continental plates, the silica rich (quartz and feldspar rich) continental plates force against each other along the plate boundary as they never subduct due to their
Alfred could not explain how the huge masses of land could have moved so far. The major means for the lithospheric plates to float on the asthenosphere comes from the process of convection in the mantle of the Earth. Heat from the outer core rises in the mantle and “melts” the upper part, which is called the asthenosphere. The plates of the lithosphere move in three main ways. There are divergent boundaries where the plates are moving away from each other and new land is formed as magma is released from inside the mantle.
Discuss the view that the impact of earthquake hazards depends primarily on human factors [40] An earthquake is a tremor or shockwave in the earth’s crust that is caused by the sudden movement of the crust, resulting in the earth shaking. Most earthquakes are a consequence of tectonic plate movement by tension causing a sudden release of energy or rubbing. These normally occur at plate margins or along fault lines and can cause hazards which need to be prevented where possible. Earthquakes can therefore occur at all plate boundaries, destructive, constructive and conservative but the most damaging tend to happen at destructive margins where the earthquakes have a high magnitude due to the rubbing of the oceanic and continental crusts. A hazard is a natural event that has the potential to effect both life and property.
The epicenter is located directly above the focus on the earth’s surface. After the fault splits, seismic waves which are produced of energy are released in all different directions. (United States Geological Survey USGS) Seen to the left are the epicenter, focus, and seismic waves. Smaller earthquakes that occur in the same location before the larger earthquake are called foreshocks. Unfortunately scientists aren’t able to tell if an earthquake is a foreshock until the larger earthquake occurs.
The reason for the movement is convection currents originating in the core caused by radioactive decay. Knowing the theory of plate tectonics is a useful tool in understanding the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes as they correlate very closely. If we map out the location of major earth quakes, location of active volcanoes and a map of general plat tectonic, the 3 would overlap. This gives us a general idea of locations and correlations. Each boundary between 2 plates have the capability of being a different type of boundary.
These volcanoes are caused by tectonic plates that make up part of the earths surface. Both of these countries are near the gaps, where magma can seep through, causing a volcano. These tectonic plates can cau`se earthquakes as well. Japan is located at the junction of 4 tectonic plates - the Pacific, Philippine, Eurasian and North American plates, making Japan the place that is known for earthquakes. Both Japan as well as Italy have water surrounding them either on most or all sides.
Cody Walters 11/29/1010 Math 144 Earthquake Intensity and the Richter Scale Earthquakes occur due to the activity of forces, energy, stored deep within the Earth's interior. These forces are constantly affecting the surface of the Earth, forming mountains, valleys, ridges etc. When the energy stored within the Earth is suddenly released, for example by shearing movements along faults in the crust of the Earth, an earthquake results. The area of the fault where the sudden rupture takes place is called the focus point or hypocenter. The point on the Earth's surface directly above the hypocenter is called the epicenter of the earthquake.
Index Terms — Seismic Data Acquisition, Earthquake, Accelerometer, ARM, ADC I. INTRODUCTION An earthquake is a natural disaster which can cause damage and loss of lives. It is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. Degree of the damage caused by an earthquake depends upon the distance between the affected area and the epicenter, and also upon the magnitude which indicates how much energy is released from the origin to the Earth’s crust [1]. Analysis of seismic signals is done by seismometers at monitoring stations.