GGR101H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Mount Pinatubo, Carbon Cycle, Platypus
Document Summary
Ggr101 plate tectonics: the global system is open; it depends on energy exchanges with the sun. If continents disperse on a globe, they have to come back together again at some time-- Internal convective processes bring molten rock(magma) to the surface and create new crust at spreading centres. It changes global geography, topography because we know that movement has produced huge mountains, exerts a major control on the global climate, and it controls the global carbon cycle. It changes global topography mostly by mountain building. It exerts major control on global climate on a range of time scales. It controls the global carbon cycle hence the size of the earth"s greenhouse effect: what really controls the carbon cycle is plate tectonics. If we don"t have much volcanic activity means that it goes into long-term storage. They have little pyroclastic material, have fluid lavas, and produce broad flat cones.