HiluAliyi_Module01Seafloor Spreading and Uniformitarianism
pdf
School
Northern Virginia Community College *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
105
Subject
Geology
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
2
Uploaded by hilualiyi
Hilu Aliyi
Professor Morales
Geology 105
24 October 2023
Module 01- Seafloor Spreading and Uniformitarianism Lab
1. Review the concept of seafloor spreading with these videos:
o
Seafloor Spreading and Plate BoundariesLinks to an external
site.
o
Divergent BoundaryLinks to an external site.
Summary: Seafloor spreading is a geological process where a new oceanic crust is
formed at mid-ocean ridges and then gradually moves away from the ridge. As the
oceanic plates move apart, magma rises from below the Earth’s surface to fill the gap,
creating a new crust. This process is a key component of the theory of plate tectonics,
providing an explanation for the movement of continents and the geological features of
the ocean floor.
2. Perform the following calculations and answer the associated questions.
Given:
a) Africa and North America are moving away from each other at a velocity (rate) of
3 cm/year.
b) Africa and North America are presently 6000 km apart.
Required Information:
Velocity = distance/time
1 km = 1000 m and 1 m = 100 cm, therefore 1 km = 100,000 cm
Calculate (show all work):
a)
How long has it been since Africa and North America were adjacent to each other?
Time= Distance/ Velocity
Time= 600,000,000cm/3cm(a year)
Time=200,000,00 years
Therefore,
it
has
been
200,000,000
years
since
Africa
and
North
America
were
adjacent.
b)
How far apart have Africa and North America moved since you were born?
Years since birth= 2023-2004=19 years
Distance= Velocity x Time
Distance = 3cm/year x 19 years= 57 cm
Therefore, Africa and North America have moved 57 cm in 19 years since I was born.
c)
What assumption did you make to complete these calculations? Why did you make
this assumption?
The assumption made in these calculations is that the velocity of the movement
between Africa and North America has remained constant over time. This simplifies the
assumption because tectonic plate movement rates can vary over geological time
scales. Also, this calculation does not consider potential accelerations or decelerations
in plate movement. It assumes a constant, average rate of 3cm/year for the sake of the
calculation’s simplicity.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help