The german meteorologist alfred wegener 18801930 is largely credited with establishing the fundamentals of the theory that we now call plate tectonics. Consider that wegener published origin of the continents and oceans in 1915 in which he laid out the circumstantial evidence that indicated the continents had once been joined, but plate tectonics was not accepted as a theory until about 1968. The new model of horizontal movement of the continents was called plate tectonics. Recently, commercial recovery of shale gas has been realized based on the. Nonetheless, we consider alfred wegener, a meteorologist of the. Arthur holmes frs frse 14 january 1890 20 september 1965 was a british geologist who made two major contributions to the understanding of geology. From continental drift to plate tectonics 7 and therefore they could not sink to become ocean basins. Tolkien, while continental drift was a theory making headway in the world of geology from 1910 onwards, plate tectonics didnt arrive on. Why are plate tectonics so important to geologists. In 1912, wegener noticed that the coastlines of the east coast of south america and the west coast of africa seemed to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Many earth processes make more sense when viewed through the lens of plate tectonics.
The theory of plate tectonics explains the relative movement of crustal plates that are juxtaposed with each other to form an interlocking pattern of plate boundaries, oceanic trenches, mountain ranges, etc. The earth surface has continuously been changing ever since it was formed, especially regarding the geomorphological and geological phenomena. He pioneered the use of radiometric dating of minerals and was the first earth scientist to grasp the mechanical and thermal implications of mantle convection, which led eventually to the acceptance of plate tectonics. The idea that the earths landmasses have broken apart, rejoined, and moved to other parts of the globe forms part of the plate tectonic theory.
Plate tectonics has become a unifying theory of geology because it can explain so many. Specific contributions to the theory of plate tectonics andor our modern view of the solid earth holmes journey of scientific stardom began when he won a scholarship to study physics at the royal college of science later imperial college. The geological theory of plate tectonics and the associated mineralization process relating to the formation of ore deposits is a hugely complicated process with the myriad contributing variables such as rock and fluid compositions, temperature, pressure ph, eh, structure and time, all interacting to provide a host of different outcomes. I think it is interesting to consider how long the plate tectonics revolution took to unfold. We know this theory by a name that did not exist prior to the late 1960sthe theory of plate tectonics. There are many different categories or disciplines that make up the science of geology. In a nutshell, the theory describes the earths outermost layers. Plate tectonics are so important to geologists because they explain how the continents that make up the earths land today formed. The theory has caused a revolution in the way we think about the earth. Plate tectonic science has applications to earth science studies.
Tectonics embraces as its chief working principle the concept of plate tectonics q. It explains locations of mountain chains, earthquakes, rock assemblages, and structures on sea floor. In 1967, jason morgan discovered the theory of plate tectonics the idea that rigid plates pave the earths surface, moving relative to one another with the continents and oceans in tow. The theory encompasses the older concepts of continental drift, developed. Indeed, the notion that the entire earths surface is continually shifting has profoundly changed the way we view our world. Seafloor and continents move around on earths surface, but what is actually moving. The continents offer our only means to extend the tectonics of the earth more than about 200 million years into the past, because most of the old seafloor has been subducted. New crustal plate is formed at the midocean ridges and old crustal plate is destroyed at deep ocean trenches. Plate tectonics is the unifying theory of geology and revolutionized. Wegener proposed that the continents plowed through crust of ocean basins, which would explain why the outlines of many coastlines like south america and africa look like they fit together like a puzzle. Geological theory an overview sciencedirect topics.
Plate interiors generally lack earthquakes, volcanoes, young mountain belts, and other evidence of geologic activity. Today plate tectonic theory based on wegeners work is accepted as the unifying theory of geology, the study of earths. Each major piece of cracked crust is called a tectonic plate figure 2. History of plate tectonics plate tectonic theory had its beginnings in 1915 when alfred wegener proposed his theory of continental drift. Plate tectonics most of these changes in the earths surface takes place so slowly that they are not immediately noticeable to the human eye. That january, sitting in his office at princeton university, morgan read a new article in science by the geologist h. The theory of plate tectonics attributes the movement of massive sections of the earths outer layers with creating earthquakes, mountains, and volcanoes.
Development of plate tectonic theory timeline preceden. The fossil record supports and gives credence to the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics. Theory of plate tectonics introduction when the concept of seafloor spreading came along, scientists recognized that it was the mechanism to explain how continents could move around earths surface. The earth is the only planet known to currently have plate tectonics. The road to plate tectonics discusses plate tectonics mechanisms and how the idea was developed from seemingly unrelated discoveries and ideas. Lastly, you will no doubt find other geologists, or internet sources, with. Continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics plate tectonics is a theory developed in the late 1960s, to explain how the outer layers of the earth move and deform. The continents are carried on some of these plates.
Like the scientists before us, we will now merge the ideas of continental drift and seafloor spreading into the theory of plate tectonics. These slabs are called tectonic plates and fit together like pieces to a puzzle. It became known as the vinematthewsmorley hypothesis, recognising the work of canadian geologist lawrence morley who had independently come up with the same idea. It started as a hypothesis and had to be proven with hard evidence before being completely accepted by the scientific community. The theory of plate tectonics, like every scientific theory, resulted from centuries of observations and compilation of many scientists works. We now know that, directly or indirectly, plate tectonics influences nearly all geologic processes, past and present. Plate tectonics, our major paradigm for how the earth works, was established in the 1960ies following decades of observational research that culminated in key discoveries such as geomagnetic. Each major piece of cracked crust is called a tectonic plate figure 22. Tolkien, while continental drift was a theory making headway in the world of geology from 1910 onwards, plate tectonics didnt arrive on the scene until the mid50s, and.
Plate tectonics exercises vancouver island university. Continental drift and plate tectonics university of iceland. By definition, the word plate in geologic terms means a large slab of solid rock. Plate tectonics american association of petroleum geologists. The idea that continents may have originally occupied different positions was not a new one box 1, but wegener was the first to present the evidence in a diligent and scientific manner. He noticed that the edges of south america and africa looked as though they fit together like a large jigsaw puzzle. Oldest oceanic plate tectonics west virginia network. Plate tectonics map of the world, showing plates, boundaries, boundary types and more. Plate tectonics grew out of a theory that was first developed in the early 20th century by the meteorologist alfred wegener. When the concept of seafloor spreading came along, scientists recognized that it was the mechanism to explain how continents could move around earths surface. Plate tectonics unifying theory plate tectonics describe movement of continental and oceanic plates and forces driving them.
Plate tectonics theory, diagrams, boundaries geology. The theory of plate tectonics links earths internal processes to the distribution of continents. The theory of plate tectonics geology lumen learning. Plate tectonics the tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. It became the first scientific test of sea floor spreading, and a crucial development in.
It is now widely accepted that most complex geological riddles, past and present, are solved conveniently by the concept of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics overview the earths crust is cracked like the shell of a hardboiled egg. The concept of plate tectonics was just as revolutionary for geology. Ret 2006, rev 2 7 introduction to plate tectonic theory, geodesy, and vlbi the plate tectonic theory is a relatively new, accepted only around 50 years ago. Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that attempts to explain the movements of the earths lithosphere that have formed the landscape features we see across the globe today. Introduction to plate tectonic theory, geodesy, and vlbi. Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of earths outer shell that revolutionized earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountainbuilding processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of earths surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans. Without them, the science of geology and the development of plate tectonic theory would not. According to plate tectonic theory, these features are caused by plate interactions at plate boundaries. Learn geology plate tectonics chapter 19 with free interactive flashcards. Plate tectonics as a paradigm, trying to shape geology like quantum.
Choose from 500 different sets of geology plate tectonics chapter 19 flashcards on quizlet. Continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics. The theory of plate tectonics is a recent development in the geological. The crust is made up of six major plates and a number of minor ones. Since the development of the theory, geologists have had to reexamine almost every aspect of. It became the first scientific test of sea floor spreading, and a crucial development in the theory of plate tectonics. Configuration of land and oceans has changed in the past and will continue to change into the future.
Teaching plate tectonics with easytodraw illustrations is fun and effective. When the plates move against each other, they create geologic events such as earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains. In 1915, the german geologist and meteorologist alfred wegener first proposed the theory of continental drift, which states that parts of the earths crust slowly drift atop a liquid core. Geological understanding of plate tectonics durham university. The plates slowly move through time, changing size and shape. Learn plate tectonics chapter 1 geology with free interactive flashcards. Still, one needs a trained geologist who believes in plate tectonic theory to properly interpret the continental geologic record. We live on a layer of earth known as the lithosphere which is a collection of rigid slabs that are shifting and sliding into each other. Central to the theory of plate tectonics is the concept of internal rigidity of tectonic plates together with eulers theo rem, which allows us to model the relative motion of plates. According to the theory of plate tectonics, the surface of the earth is comprised of several plates, some very large, and several smaller. Since the 1980s when the geological theory about coalformed gas was first formulated song et al.
From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia plate tectonics from greek, tekton builder or mason describes the large scale motions of earths lithosphere. The theory of plate tectonics developed by geoscientists during early 1960s is often described as a most revolutionary concept in the history of geology as a science. The following website contains a more detailed and lesson plans on plate tectonics, geodesy, and vlbi. Caineng zou, in unconventional petroleum geology, 20. Pdf acceptance of plate tectonic theory by geologists. Acceptance of plate tectonic theory by geologists article pdf available in geology 611 january 1978 with 196 reads how we measure reads. Pangea the earths original supercontinent split up due to plate tectonics and without these forces, our. Therefore, we will introduce five fundamental geologic principles. He believed that the continents had been joined together at one time but had drifted apart. The plate tectonics model describes features and processes on earth. In conventional oilgas geological theory, organicrich shale mainly serves as source rock for hydrocarbon instead of reservoir. Choose from 500 different sets of plate tectonics chapter 1 geology flashcards on quizlet.
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