How Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Shape Our World Today

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what the inside of the Earth looks like, or why the 7 continents we have today exist? How about why we have natural disasters? The whole reason behind this is the Theory of Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift. Continental Drift caused the supercontinent called Pangea, and the 7 continents that we have today. Pangea was a giant supercontinent, which incorporated all of the seven continents that we have today. the Pangea was like a smashed up cookie of tectonic plates. The animation above shows the plate movement from Pangea to the 7 continents we have today.

The Theory of Plate Tectonics

The Theory of Plate Tectonics states that plates are always on the move. A scientist named Alfred Wegener proposed this theory. Evidence for this theory is found on different continents. Africa and South America share the same pre-historic fossils. This indicated that other animals of the same type were on the same continent a long time ago. Lithospheric plates still make the continents move today, and they move around 19 mm at an annual rate. The plates move because of the convection currents of the magma underneath. Evidence that supports the Theory of Plate Tectonics exists in two different continents. Fossils in eastern South America are also found in western Africa. There are different types of boundaries that plates can form. There are divergent boundaries, transform boundaries, and convergent boundaries. At a convergent boundary, two plates come together, and at a divergent boundary, two plates spread apart. Some of the affects of convergent boundaries are mountain ranges and subduction. Subduction is when an oceanic plate slides under a continental plate at a convergent boundary. At transform boundaries, plates slide past each other, and the main effect is an earthquake. Divergent boundaries cause sea-floor spreading and cause mid-ocean trenches, as well as trenches on land.

Pangea

Pangea was the second supercontinent in the Earth's history. It was basically made by Continental Drift. During the age of this supercontinent, oxygen levels were high, and life on Earth exploded. It lasted form the early Permian period to the early Jurassic period. The magma underneath the lithosphere was causing the continents to move.

Layers of the Earth

There are 4 layers of the Earth. The crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. You can think of the Earth as an egg. The shell represents the crust. The white part (albumin) of the egg, represents the mantle. The mantle is molten rock on which the continents "float". Finally, the core at the center of the Earth is represented by the yellow yolk in an egg. Th lithosphere includes the crust and a bit of the upper mantle which is 5 to 30 miles thick. Next, the mantle itself; it is 1800 miles thick. Finally, the whole core is a total of 2,100 miles thick. The distance from the place where we stand to the center of the core is about 3840 miles.

Geological Features Right Here in California

One of the major geological features of California is the San Andreas Fault. This fault runs through California, and is the border between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. Also, Mt. Lassen is the southern most active volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range and is a lava dome volcano. A famous mountain in California's White Mountain Range is White Mountain. Mountain ranges like this are usually formed by plate tectonics.

Summing It All Up

In summary, The Theory of Plate Tectonics states that plates are always on the move. This theory was proposed by Alfred Wegener. Pangea was a supercontinent that was basically a big chunk of all the continents we have today. It lasted from the early Permian to the early Jurassic periods during which life flourished. There are 4 layers of the Earth: the crust, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core. We hope this information satisfied any of your continental drift and plate tectonic related queries! Remember, the Earth is always moving!! :)