Around 500-600 million years ago a large continent formed by the merging of numerous continents, it was known as Pangaea. The forceful movement of the tectonic plates resulted in Pangaea being split into two smaller land masses. These two smaller land masses were identified as Gondwana and Laurasia. The splitting of Gondwana and Laurasia occurred around 230-280 million years ago.
Gondwana or ‘Gondwanaland’ was a primeval supercontinent and was once the southern land mass of Pangaea. Gondwana consisted of not only continents but countries too. Today they are known as South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. Throughout the existence of this supercontinent the climate was both wet and warm. The warm weather being quite warmer than what it is like now in the 21st century. This was because of the fact dinosaurs still roamed the earth throughout the time when Gondwana was still a supercontinent, the Antarctic ice sheet was non-existent and the majority of Gondwana was covered with vegetation.
PARAGRAPH 2: - 150-300 (broke apart) tectonic movement (continental drift)
- Explain how the continents moved apart.
- Specifically explain the Continental Drift theory
- Explain where the continents moved to.
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However, this supercontinent didn’t stay as one for too long. Gondwana began to separate 170-180 million years ago. This was caused by continental drift which meant that the crustal plates of the earth were being dragged because of the movement in the deeper layer of rock in the mantle. Evidently volcanoes and earthquakes were two major factors in the movement of the continents. Black volcanic rocks known as Basalt excreted from the volcanic eruptions onto the sea floor in ocean areas which was called mid oceanic ridges. Adjacent plates of the sea floor were forced apart as a result of
INTRODUCTION The Cretaceous Period, spanning 65.5-146 million years ago (Mya), was a world different from what we are familiar with today. Planetary changes during this period included the extinction of dinosaurs and drastic global warming. The breakup of the super continent Pangea had started about 30 Mya, and seaways had begun to form and cover landmass that had once been a part of the super continent (Geologic Time). Today, scientists know that one of these landmasses, the North American continent as we now know it, was at one point covered by a vast inland sea known as the Western Interior Seaway.
There is one big reason rocks are not found on the sea floor that could be attributed to the dynamics of nature. One of them is because the sea floor is constantly changing thanks to seafloor spreading. So, the seafloor now is not the same as it was years ago. Seafloor spreading happens because of the earth’s plates constantly moving meaning the rocks on the seafloor will soon be shifted inward toward the mantel or shifted to another side. 2.
Thus the subcontinent can only support low numbers of people. 10,000 years ago, New Guinea and Australia were connected by a land bridge. This allowed travel between the continents but because of melting glaciers raising the water level, travel by foot today is impossible. New Guineas climate is moister than Australia’s but does not support a lot of protein rich foods. Australia did not learn most of the complex technologies from the New Guinea as one would have thought.
The last remnant of the supercontinent Gondwanaland finally separated into Australia and Antarctica between 30 and 40 million years ago. Isolated on an enormous northward-drifting raft the inhabitants of the Australian continent evolved and diversified over millions of years as the climate cycled through periods of warm and cool, wet and dry. Fossils Found in Riversleigh Our
- Crust - cool, lightweight, brittle, which floats on top of mantle. It is the outer layer of earth. Tectonic processes reshape continents and also cause earthquakes - Tectonic plates- plates caused by convection currents in the mantle that causes earthquakes. - Ocean basins form where continents crack and pull apart. - Magma – is molten rock
Well, there are many theories. There is the aboriginal legend, the Bible theory and then the scientist theory. All of which lead to the same conclusion, however, the processes of getting to the conclusion are completely different. Scientist's believe that 30-22 million years ago the continent was thought to be moving over a 'hot-spot' in the earths mantle beneath the crust.
The information you showcase regarding the United States’ movement westward is very intuitive. Additionally, the information you showcase about the massacre of the Native American people during westward expansion is something that people often avoid discussing. Furthermore, the information regarding the governments’ incentive packages for moving west highlights how desperate the United States is to settle the new land. Now, consider that the military massacred hundreds of Native Americans, do you believe that those men should have stood trial for war crimes? Also, do you believe the government’s incentive packages are a contributing factor to settler’s clashes with Native Americans?
I agree with Morgan’s central ideas that there is no true first hand accounts of true westward expansion. I believe that there are no first hand accounts there is only biographies about the people that played a big role in westward expansion. There are no first hand accounts of the people physically moving from west that i have read or heard about. In “Chief Joseph Speaks Selected Statements and Speeches by the Nez Percé Chief” there are many speeches done by Chief Joseph that are accounts of westward expansion but they are in third person.
The movement of plates affected the geological features of the United States via convection currents, plate boundaries, and natural disasters. Convection currents, or currents within a fluid (magma) that rise from convection (the rising of hot air and the falling of cool air) affected the geological features of the United States by moving the plates. The plates, rested just above the mantle, rely on convection currents below them to move them and form boundaries. This is where plate boundaries come into play. Plate boundaries are where plates either collide, separate, or bash against each other in opposite directions.
Geography is the study of Earth’s features such as terrain, climate, vegetation, soil, and other physical characteristics. These features affect the way that civilizations grow and survive. Civilizations need to be near areas that can provide them with food, water, and supplies to flourish and sustain themselves. Whether the civilizations survived or not was based on their geography and therefore determined their fate and history.
These two plates push and shove each other causing small tremors throughout which can cause landslides,volcanic eruptions and once in a couple years, quakes with devastating results. The strongest earthquake recorded occurred in 1991 with a measure of 7.6 on the Richter scale. This earthquake left 4 dead and buildings as well as bridges and road were completely destroyed. If another Earthquake occurs, the coastal cities would be the most affected ones as they are closer to the plates.
These areas were marine geology, continental drift/plate tectonics, and planetary geology. Dietz made contributions in studying and interpreting the sea-floor and the importance of diving technology. He published important analyses of the geomorphic evolution of continental margins, and he later considered the geologic architecture of these margins. He also published a pioneering concept of seafloor spreading. He worked with scientists like Harry Hess and their most famous discovery is their geological reconstruction called pangea.
John Tuzo Wilson is a crucial importance in advancing the plate tectonics theory. Wilson had known Henry Hess in the late 1930s, when he was studying for his doctorate at Princeton University. Wilson suggested that the Hawaiian and other volcanic island chains may have formed because the movement of a plate over a stationary “hotspot” in the mantle. Another important contribution to the development of the plate tectonics theory was published two years later. Wilson proposed that there must be a third type of plate boundary to connect the oceanic ridges and trenches.
Earthquakes are caused by the plate tectonics crashing into one another. Without the plate tectonics, there would be no continents, no large mountain ranges and Earth would be submerged to a depth several thousand feet. Most of the world’s sea creatures would be fine, but many humans cannot survive this. Tectonic plates produce
Asia the Beauty and Diversity for a Vacation One of the world’s largest and most diverse continent is Asia. Its total Area, including Asian Russia (with the Caucasian isthmus) but excluding the island of New Guinea, amounts to some 17,226,200 square miles, thus it roughly represents one-third of the land surface of Earth. Asia has both the highest and the lowest points on the surface of Earth, in addition to having the longest coastline of any continent. Moreover, Asia is usually subjected to the world’s widest climatic extremes, and as a result, Asia produces many varied forms of vegetation and animal life on Earth.