The theory of plate tectonics

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  • Created by: Tomek123
  • Created on: 16-09-20 11:38
1596
Abraham Ortelius said that coastlines of continents appear to fit together, and that they were once joined and then torn away
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1638
Nicolaus Steno proposed the idea of the law of superposition (each layer of rock is older than the layer above it)
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1785
James Hutton used Steno's law and compared rock layers, he found ground penetrating schists which indicated that granite was molten at the time so it's younger than the other layers of rock
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1912
Alfred Wegner proposed that the continents were once joined together as "Pangea" he believed that the continents drifted apart in continental drift
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1929
Arthur Holmes suggests that convection in the mantle drives continental drift. As magma is heated it rises and then cools causing continents to move
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1950s
Oceanographic vessels mapping sea floor lead to discovery of mid-ocean ridges, these underwater mountains separate the plates
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1960
Harry H Hess develops idea that oceanic crust forms along ocean ridges and spreads out laterally away from the ridges, the year after Robert Diets named the phenomenon sea floor spreading
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1963
Frederick Vine and Drummond Matthews and Lawrence Morely say that the new crust has a magnetisation aligned with earth's geomagnetic field, overtime this would appear as bands of crust that exhibit alternating patterns of probability. palaeomagnetism
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Mid 1960s
Global network of hydro acoustic scanners designed to monitor compliance with the 1963 nuclear test ban treaty recorded earthquakes and it was noticed that earthquakes were almost always at plate boundaries
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Earlier 1968
Glomar Challenger explored the mid-ocean ridge between Africa and South America. Core samples obtained revealed that rocks closer to the mid-ocean ridge are younger than the rocks which are further away
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Later 1968
Dan McKenzie proposed the theory of plate tectonics. He had mathematical evidence to back up his theory
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Mid 1970s
Scientists created a 3D image of the earths interior. The technique, now known as seismic tomography allows scientists to examine dynamic processes deep in the earth.
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What is the Beinoff Zone?
Dipping, roughly planar zones of increased earthquake activity produced by the interaction of a subducting oceanic crustal plate with an overriding continental or oceanic plate. They occur at boundaries of crustal plates called subduction zones.
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What is palaeomagnetism?
The study of the record of the Earth's magnetic field in rocks, sediment, or archaeological materials. Magnetic minerals in rocks can lock-in a record of the direction and intensity of the magnetic field when they form. This record provides information on
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What is seafloor spreading?
Seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge.
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What is slab pull?
Slab pull is the pulling force exerted by a cold, dense oceanic plate plunging into the mantle due to its own weight
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Nicolaus Steno proposed the idea of the law of superposition (each layer of rock is older than the layer above it)

Back

1638

Card 3

Front

James Hutton used Steno's law and compared rock layers, he found ground penetrating schists which indicated that granite was molten at the time so it's younger than the other layers of rock

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Alfred Wegner proposed that the continents were once joined together as "Pangea" he believed that the continents drifted apart in continental drift

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Arthur Holmes suggests that convection in the mantle drives continental drift. As magma is heated it rises and then cools causing continents to move

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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