Collection: Plates
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Interconnectivity Between Tectonic Plates and Life on Earth
Plates are used in many industries for one reason or another. The basic purpose of these plates is to keep things moving along and under a controlled environment. Some of these uses include the transportation of materials and supplies to various locations. Some of them are used to keep things dry in certain situations. This article will take a look at the basic mechanism behind plating and the different types of plating that are used.
Tectonic theory is a scientific concept explaining how the large-scale movement of the plates on the surface of the Earth began over time, creating tectonic forces that drive the movement of tectonic plates. The model explains that the entire Earth was once part of a huge ocean and that some kind of explosion caused this ocean to collapse and break up into the current forms we know today. The theory explains that this explosion caused massive amounts of ice to be melted, which in turn heated the water in the oceans and rivers. As this melting process continued, water levels in the atmosphere rose significantly and eventually led to the development of what we now know as the Himalayas and the Andes.
This theory also suggests that plate boundaries caused the division of the earth into continents and parts of it into oceans. Plate tectonics continues to be a subject of research and study today because of the vast number of earthquakes that occur around the world. If there were not plate boundaries, there would be much more variation within the earth's surface. In addition, volcanoes would not have been able to form, which are located on both ends of tectonic plate boundaries.
One of the most common theories on plate tectonics involves the Himalayas. There are many mountains in this part of the world that are taller than 6.6 meters. If this is true, then it supports the idea that the Himalayas was divided into many smaller plates that broke away from the main plate. These mountains range in height from around twelve to forty kilometers, with some of them being extremely high like the tallest mountain range in the world. If there were massive amounts of ice waiting to melt, the Himalayan mountains could easily have supported human life for a long time before they eventually caved in.
Many scientists believe that the biggest volcanic explosion that has occurred on earth took place 65 million years ago during an explosion of super volcanoes. It is believed that super-eruptions are directly linked to plate tectonics. When massive amounts of ice suddenly melts and spew out into the atmosphere, the volcano becomes active, causing the earth to shake and move. When this happens on a large scale, it can cause major tremors and earthquakes in the surrounding areas.
During the last Ice age, there were massive extinctions in which only very few animals survived. Some specialists think that the extinctions were caused by changes in the earth's tectonic plates, which caused huge icebergs to form which blocked the passageways between the tectonic plates. When huge icebergs disappear from the surface of the earth, they take with them the tectonic plates which can be used to explain the presence of animals on Earth and also to explain why there are fossils today.
It is interesting to know that many of our planet's volcanic eruptions have tectonic plates made of magma and that these can have big effects on the surface of our earth. The largest volcanic explosion that scientists have discovered happened when Mt. volcano on the island of Hawaii erupted about 65 million years ago. Scientists believe that this volcano was a part of a collision that created this huge explosion which covered the whole of the northern hemisphere.
With all of these theories that link interconnectivity between different plate boundaries and their effects on our climate, how can one explain the existence of life on Earth. Scientists believe that there are several layers of materials that make up the Earth's crust which would make up a super fluid interspersed with clouds of water vapor and various solid particles of organic matter. All of these combine together to form a semi-solid layer of rock called the lithosphere. Some experts think that the lithosphere is so complex that it has formed several islands within the Earth. The top layer of this island is the mesosphere or the uppermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere.