J. Subbiondo © 2004The CrustThe outer layer of the Earth is called the crust. It is made up of rock that floated to the surface when the Earth was formed. It is not a continuous layer, but is made up of large masses called tectonic plates.These plates drift slowly across the Earth's surface (tectonic means moving).The movement of these plates creates mountains and valleys.At weak points in the crust, it causes volcanic eruptions. And when plates bump into each other, earthquakes occur -- emitting shock waves or vibrations called seismic waves. The crust is the Earth's coldest layer.
Plate Tectonic Theory What is Plate Tectonics? Plate tectonics is the main force that shapes our planet’s surface over a long period of time the study of how the Earth's crust is shaped by geological forces. It relies on the understanding that the crust is divided into large pieces, or plates, that sit on the molten interior of the planet. Currents within the interior cause the plates to move, which causes many different geological events, including earthquakes and the forming of mountains and volcanoes. Understanding how plates move and interact is the main purpose of plate tectonics.
These rocks reflect the properties of the sediment that it came from and this category is distinguishable by the grains that are contained within the rock. The second category is Chemical Sedimentary rocks. These sedimentary rocks are formed from sediment that came from chemical weatherization. These
These are boundaries where the plats move towards each other but 1 plate travels underneath (subduction). The less dense oceanic plate is the plate that subsides under the denser continental plate. The oceanic plate with melt as it falls to the asthenosphere creating a mantle plume where we expect to see a strombolian (cone) volcano. These volcanoes are typically tall cone shaped volcanoes. They are as such because they lava is andesitic/rhyolitic which means the lava contains 55%+ silica content.
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. There are convergent boundaries where the plates are moving toward each other. At convergent boundaries mountains or trenches can form. The last type of boundary is a transform boundary where the plates move past each other and can cause an earthquake
Earthquakes are caused by the rift and abrupt movement of two rocks that suddenly slip past one another. Earthquakes occur along faults which are fractures in the lithosphere where sections of rock move past one another. There are three important parts to an earthquake: the focus, the epicenter, and seismic waves. The focus is the point on the fault where the separation occurs and from where the seismic waves are formed. The epicenter is located directly above the focus on the earth’s surface.
Diamond-bearing rock can be transported from the lithosphere to the Earth's surface through volcanic eruptions, which form very deep within the earth. This takes place when small surface volcanic craters extend downward in formations known as volcanic pipes
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.
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.
Throughout the years Slate has been used for indoor as well as outdoor. Since the ancient Maya civilization to modern age Slate is used for artifacts, walls, roofing, and flooring. Slate is a metamorphic rock; it is formed when shale, which consists of clay minerals, is put under increasing levels of heat and pressure. The clay then reverts to mica minerals from which it is formed. This makes the rock grow hard, and get a pronounced cleavage direction, so that it breaks along flat planes.