EOSC 116 Lecture Notes - Eurasian Plate, Paleozoic, Asthenosphere
Document Summary
Plate tectonics: grew out of the theory of continental drift, observation by alfred wegener in. 1915 that some of the continental land masses seemed to fit together, and later drifted apart. Plate move across the surface of earth at seemingly random directions and at different rate. Paleogeography: study of evolution of landforms through time. Oceanic crust is thinner but denser than continental crust. 3 ways of interaction: divergent boundaries: rift apart. Ex: red sea: convergent: move towards. When one lithospheric plate pushed down another it is being subducted. If the overriding plate is oceanic, than isolated volcanic island(oceanic arc) will be formed. If overriding plate is continental, the plate will be thicker and less dense than oceanic plate, so it will be mainly suberial, the arc formed is called continental or andean-type. If continental plate subducted another continental plate, a mountain such as humalayan forms: transform: sliding along.