EESA06H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: East African Rift, Continental Drift, Plate Tectonics
Document Summary
Tectonics is the study of the origin and arrangement of the broad structural features of the earth"s surfa(cid:272)e: used to explain some surface features of the earth. Plate tectonics is the idea that the earth"s surface is divided into a few large, thick plates that move slowly and change in size. Plate tectonics explains: earthquake distribution, origin of mountain belts, origin of sea-floor topography, distribution and composition of volcanoes. Concept of tectonic plates was developed in the late (cid:1005)96(cid:1004)"s (cid:271)(cid:455) the (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:271)i(cid:374)atio(cid:374) of the continental drift and sea-floor spreading ideas. Continental drift: the idea that continents (cid:373)ove freel(cid:455) over the earth"s surface. Sea-floor spreading: the hypothesis that the sea floor forms at the crest of mid-oceanic ridges, plates move apart and form a trench. Fossil remains for both land-dwelling reptiles lystrosaurus and cynognathus are found in triassic-age rocks on all 5 continents. Pangea (original single landmass) initially separated into two parts: laurasia (the northern supercontinent) and.
