Richard Mataitis
Earth History
Term Paper Rough Draft
Geographic Setting
The alpine orogeny is an arcuate mountain chain in Europe that runs across the countries of Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia, and Switzerland (Froitzheim et al. 2008) Its length is 1000km, and width falls between 120 and 250km. The Alps are divided into four subdivisions, which include the Central, Southern, Western, and Eastern portions (Figure of map). Two cenozoic basins represent the eastern end of the Alps. The Vienna basin compromises the north while the Styrian basin is in the south, hiding any tectonic units (Froitzheim et al. 2008). East-west orientated valleys that are products of the Tertiary age Periadriatic Fault create the boundary of the Southern Alps from the other subdivisions (Froitzheim et al. 2008). Below the Southern Alps is the Po basin, which is a foreland basin of the Southern Alps. A geographic boundary doesn’t exist between the Southern Alps or the Dinarides, so it is accepted that they are a continuation of the Southern Alps. This is likewise with the Pyrenees south of the Western Alps, and the Jura Mountains North. The north-south orientated fault zone called the Sestri-Voltassio creates the boundary between the Alps system and the Apennines Mountains (Froitzheim et al. 2008). The geographic boundary between the Eastern and Central Alps is drawn from Lake Constance southward to Lake Como. The boundary between the Central and Western Alps is
4. The Great Ice Age thrust down over North America and scoured the present day American Midwest.
There are three distinct types of plate boundaries existing, which are supported by geological observation, geophysical data, and theoretical considerations. Their names and categories are based on if adjacent plates move apart from each other (divergent plate margins), toward one another (convergent plate margins), or slip past one another in a direction parallel to their common boundary (transform plate margins) (Pitman, W.C., 2007).
I believe in people (Berstein 19). I believe there is good in every human being because of the choice we have between right and wrong (19). In “The Mountain Disappears”, Leonard Bernstein tells us that it is what we choose to do with that free will is what defines us. Something that we need to believe in is love. Love is a commitment and teaches us how to be passionate about something that makes us a better person. I believe that every single one of us has the ability to change and that when we change, we have great potential (19-20). Everyone has the potential to make a difference in the world. I believe in the attainability of good (21). We all have it, so why don’t we use it?
For example, The appalachian Mountains were formed by a massive continental collision over 300 million years ago. According to page 88 in my science notebook, the rocks in the Chattooga River is evidence of the continental collision. Mountains are formed when two continental plates collide, and form the mountains. The Appalachian mountains, were formed during Pangea. The North American Plate and the African Plate collided. When this happened the Appalachian Mountains were formed. These mountains then grew bigger, but as soon as it started growing, it also eroded. Erosion and
The three faults being considered are thought to have influenced the character of some 120,000 square miles. The Big Pine, Garlock, and San Andreas faults are all mutually active, deep, long, and steep and noted as being conjugate shears. In concert, the faults have defined a primary strain pattern of relative east-west extension and north-south shortening of the area of 120,000 square miles. The large region is noted for its deformity, with the source of this being a northeast-southwest counterclockwise compressive couple. The compressive couple was potentially supported through drag as a result of the deep-seated movement of rock material from the Pacific region (Hill & Dibblee, 1953). The interaction of the faults in the San Andreas region since the Jurassic period have served to shape and contour the present geology of the land, while a study of the paleontology of the region likewise requires such knowledge to effectively determine conditions at any given point in time.
To support the theory of continental drift is through topography, surveying the floors of oceans, charts of rock magnetism, and statistics on rock ages (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). At one time scientist believed that the deep ocean floors were flat; accumulating the sediment that progressively wore away from the prehistoric landmasses (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). However, they discovered steep-walled valleys and elevated highlands. This was evidences that just as the continents are transformed and are active, so to is the seafloor (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). The Mid- Atlantic Ridge, positioned in the central part of the Atlantic Ocean, is recorded to be the longest mountain range on this planet. Volcanoes, lava flow, and earthquakes are a source of
Quebec is the providence in Canada, covering nearly 600,000 square miles. The notable landmasses found within Quebec include the Canadian Shield and the Appalachian Mountains. The Encyclopedia of Britannica reveals that the Canadian Shield has ice-smoothed hills, and is the most massive area containing exposed Precambrian rock (Behiels). The Appalachian Mountains are the separating feature distinguishing the Quebec’s borders from Main, Vermont, and New Hampshire (“Quebec Mountains”). The St. Lawrence River flows southwest of Lake Ontario to the northeast. Attractions involving the river include the Québec-Lévis ferry, cruises, and strolls on the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain (Quebec).
Cenozoic sedimentary rocks predominated to the west and east of the central mountain while plutonic rocks predominated in the peninsular ranges. The irregular contact between these geologic regions reflects the ancient topography of the area. The ancient oceanic crustal plate created an archipelago of a volcanic island. The former's subduction created immense volumes of magma. This resulted to the congealation of plutonic rock in the crust. The local rocks that existed before the tectonic forces uplifted, and erosion capped the deeply buried plutonic rocks that formed a steep and rugged mountains coastline, similar to that present one, which in the west coast of south America.
Picture yourself climbing the tallest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest. Many people have successfully scaled this mountain, but others have tried and failed. Mt. Everest has been called a Himalayan Wonder because of its geography and weather extremes (Urmann). By exploring the geography, the people who have tried to climb it, and the supplies you will need, one can see how brave the many people who tried to climb it have been.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--With the West Virginia University fall camp underway, one of the things the Mountaineers are continuing to work on is the passing game.
2. The process by which a tectonic plate consisting of less heavy rock rides up over a heavier plate is known as:
Plate tectonics are very dangerous when they collide,slide,and move apart. They can create mountains like the Appalachian Mountains that used to tower over everything then erosion took place. The Appalachian Mountains were formed by convergent boundaries, convergent boundaries are collide
The Appalachian Mountains were formed an estimated 480 million years ago, being one of the first plate collisions constructing the supercontinent Pangea. During the Paleozoic Era, the region was submerged, layers of sediment and carbonate rock began to form on top of the already submerging sea bottom. In the Ordovician Period, the Appalachian passive margin evolved into a plate boundary when another plate collided with and sank the North American plate, creating the Appalachians. The Mountains continued to form as volcanoes grew, plate collisions, all while the supercontinent formed. Pangea began its separation 220 million years ago, halting the creation of many mountain ranges. The Appalachian Mountains had almost flattened completely out,
In the middle of the eighteenth century, James Hutton proposed a theory, uniformitarianism; “the present is the key to the past”. It held that processes such as geologic forces- gradual and catastrophic-occurring in the present were the same that operated in the past. (Matt Rosenberg, 2004) This theory coincides with the theory of Continental Drift that was first proposed by Abraham Ortelius in December 1596, who suggested that North, South America, Africa and Eurasia were once connected but had been torn apart by earthquakes and floods. He also discovered that the coasts of the eastern part of South America and the
During the Early Cretaceous stage Gondwana broke apart into many of the continents and countries that we know today; one of which being Africa. Africa began to drift North along with India closing up the area we now know as the Mediterranean basin. All of these collisions have shaped the tectonic activity and geo-dynamics of the landscape around the Mediterranean. The Alps were formed as result of the collision between Africa and Eurasia (Hinsbergen et al, 2009). During the Oligocene epoch, the African plate and Eurasian plate moved towards each other putting pressure on one another, and thus the sediment accumulated into folds. This is also called Orogenesis. These folds contain major low angle faults from NE-SE as result of thrusting and