GL102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Metamorphism, Unit, Craton
Document Summary
A final note: as refinements were made to plate tectonics and as more was learned about the puzzling seafloor features and continental regions, they began to seem more compatible with plate tectonics. Objections of the theory died out, and plate tectonics became widely accepted: the evidence for plate tectonics is very convincing. The theory has been rightly called a revolution in the earth sciences. It has been an exciting time to be a geologist. Our whole concept of earth dynamics has changed in the last fifty years. A mountain range is likely to be composed of tectonically deformed sedimentary, Unit 15 - mountain belts and the continental crust. Under the enormous forces of plate tectonics, mountain belts can evolve from marine- deposited rocks to towering peaks during periods of tens of millions of years. Ultimately, through the influence of weathering and erosion, towering peaks are worn down to plains and become part of the stable interior of a continent.
