What will the Earth’s surface look like in 50 years By:Josh Russell

Basics Earths surface since its very conception has been ever changing Almost every aspect of weather plays some role in shaping the earths surface, hence the term weathering

Pangaea? Pangaea is the name for the supercontinent that supposedly filled the non water portions of the earth. Basically its one massive land mass surrounded by water. So… Why is it not still hear today

Weathering And Erosion Weathering, earthquakes, volcanos, all are theories about the break up of Pangaea Weathering is the term for the break up of the Earth’s surface by natural factors Erosion is the term for when pieces of rock are destroyed by natural factors

Types of weathering and erosion Acid rain Regular rain Wind Waves Glacial (because apparently glaciers may be responsible for the grand canyon) The list goes on but you can get the gist

So what’s the answer to the questions In fifty years change will most likely be minimal assuming we don’t face cataclysmic levels of natural disasters In 5000 years though we may have a different story For example the white cliffs of dover will probably lose a few inches off of the cliffs because of waves weathering away at the rock The Rocky mountains may get a bit higher Volcanos could go off and create new landmasses Basically it could be an interesting 5000 years for Earth.

VIDEO TIME

How are oceans formed?

Tectonic plate’s movement creates ocean basins, mid-ocean ridges, through collision. Colliding plates push sedimentary materials into an uplifted mass of rock that contains numerous folds and faults. The process of creation is first by the accumulation of sediments then the tectonic collision causes rock deformation, when forces on a rock change the structure of that rock by putting stress upon it, rebound continues to cause uplift.

It does this despite erosion, or the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents, and causes the development of new mountain peaks through block faulting.

This chart shows the different deformation types and the difference between brittle and ductile.

Ductile plates Ductile, or able to be deformed without losing toughness, when talking about plate tectonics basically means the plate is still attached just moving

Brittle plates Brittle, or hard but liable to break or shatter easily, in the case of plate tectonics means its 2 separate plates.

The oldest rocks on the ocean floor are 180 million years old. It is created at the mid-ocean ridges from hot material rising in the mantle, and then spreads away from the ridges, before eventually being recycled into the mantle at subduction zones. Continental crust is always less dense and more buoyant than oceanic crust, so where they meet, it is the oceanic crust that gives way, sinking (subducting) back into the mantle.

Tectonic plates collide at boundaries. Where oceanic crust meets continental crust, the latter may be compressed and thickened, resulting in mountain- building. The dense oceanic plate sinks beneath the lighter continental plate, forming an ocean trench, and volcanic activity occurs as the crust descends into the mantle. Where two ocean plates meet, the oldest, most dense plate is subducted and an arc of volcanic islands is formed parallel to the trench. Transform boundaries arise where plates are moving past each other. No crust is created or destroyed, nor is there any volcanic activity. They can occur where segments of a boundary are offset, and extensive fracture zones can result.

What is the Importance of plate tectonics? First, What is plate tectonics? Plate tectonics is the theory that describes the movement of the Lithosphere.

THE LITHOSPHERE The lithosphere is the Tectonic plates that float on the soft outer layer of the mantle, called the Asthenosphere.

The importance Plate tectonics helps us understand our world. It has backed up proof of the super continent theory. It helps us predict Earthquakes and Volcanoes.

Valcanoes It helps us predict Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Saves lives

Fossil records help prove Fossil evidence helped prove the theory of continental drift because similar fossils could be found on separate continents, in rocks of roughly the same age, surrounded by layers that matched each other, and in some cases, found nowhere else in the world.

Unit 2 Table 6 ____, Period 1____

Describe the many different ways in which the earth structure is developed and changes the earth The interior structure of the Earth is layered in spherical shells, like an onion. These layers can be defined by either their chemical or their rheological properties.

Earths structure

The continents move because of plate tectonics. The earth’s crust is made of many large and small pieces, called plates that are floating on top of magma, molten rock. Movement of continents

Formation of oceans The oceans on Earth formed around 4 billion years ago from water vapor that was accumulated in the atmosphere.

Earths crust The earth’s crust is the Solid layer at the Earth’s surface whose thickness varies from 6 mi beneath the oceans to 35 miles beneath the mountains.

Study of the Geosphere The scientific study of the geosphere (earths solid matter ) is called geology

Geosphere video