1. DAILY WARM-UP Write one thing you know about Charles Darwin. Define what you think a “seamount” is. Rank the following pictures from youngest to oldest. A B C

2.  older than  The approximate age of something determined by comparing whether it is older or younger than something similar. RELATIVE AGE A B C  older than 

3. A mountain on the ocean floor that does not reach the surface. WHAT IS A SEAMOUNT?

4. Ridges formed of live coral animals build-up on the skeletons of dead coral animals found in tropical oceans. BUILDING REEFS

5. Typical conical volcanic morphology of Mount Fuji, Japan MORPHOLOGY Morphology is the study of the origin of rocks as well as their formation and composition. Morphology can describe the form and structure of a feature, such as a seamount or coral reef.

6. RELATIVE DATING Charles R. Darwin (1809-1882) James D. Dana (1813-1895)

7. CHARLES R. DARWIN Scientist aboard H.M.S Beagle voyage in 1831 and most famous for ideas on natural selection and evolution.

8. CHARLES R. DARWIN But … Darwin also wrote about evolution of coral reefs.

9. CHARLES R. DARWIN Coral reefs begin as fringing reefs. Subsidence occurs and barrier reefs form. Even more subsidence and an atoll forms. Hypothesized about the relative age progression of coral reefs in the ocean.

10. Now we know what it looks like below the surface of the ocean, but in 1831 Darwin did not! Darwin based his hypotheses on above sea surface observations.

11. JAMES D. DANA Expanded on Darwin’s work on evolution of coral reefs and islands.

12. Darwin and Dana were practicing relative age dating. Rather than providing actual ages for the coral and islands they inferred that one was older than another based on appearance. RELATIVE AGE DATING

13. Hot lava erupts to make a seamount. LIFE CYCLE SEAMOUNTS

14. Continued eruptions and seamount becomes an island. LIFE CYCLE SEAMOUNTS

15. As the eruptions stop lava cools. LIFE CYCLE SEAMOUNTS

16. Eventually plants begin to grow on the cooled lava. LIFE CYCLE SEAMOUNTS

17. Soon the entire island has vegetation covering the lava. LIFE CYCLE SEAMOUNTS

18. Eventually the island sinks. Now it is a seamount. LIFE CYCLE SEAMOUNTS

19. CHARLES R. DARWIN The evolution of coral reefs happens at the same time.