Table of Contents
- 1 How are plate tectonics beneficial to us?
- 2 What do you think is the importance of understanding the movement of plates?
- 3 In what way is the plate tectonic theory helpful in explaining the occurence of volcanoes and earthquake epicenter?
- 4 What did you learn about plate tectonics?
- 5 How does plate tectonics help regulate the Earth’s climate?
How are plate tectonics beneficial to us?
Plate activity on Earth has helped to regulate the level of carbon dioxide over the eons. The same weathering that pulls nutrients from mountaintops down into the oceans also helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
In what way is the plate tectonic theory helpful in explaining the occurrence of volcanoes and earth?
Most of the world’s volcanoes are found around the edges of tectonic plates, both on land and in the oceans. On land, volcanoes form when one tectonic plate moves under another. In the ocean, volcanoes erupt along cracks that are opened in the ocean floor by the spreading of two plates called a mid-ocean ridge .
What do you think is the importance of understanding the movement of plates?
Plate tectonics explains why and where earthquakes occur. This makes it possible to make predictions about earthquakes. Plate tectonics explains why and where mountains are formed. The oceans according to plate tectonics are formed by divergent boundaries.
How do plate tectonics help in the carbon cycle?
Through plate tectonics, the limestone and other carbonate minerals are carried to subduction zones where they are melted. The melted rock releases carbon dioxide through volcanoes. In turn the temperature regulation of plate tectonics enables liquid water to remain on the Earth’s surface.
In what way is the plate tectonic theory helpful in explaining the occurence of volcanoes and earthquake epicenter?
As plates move, they get stuck in places, and enormous amounts of energy build up. When the plates finally get unstuck and move past each other, the energy is released in the form of earthquakes. Earthquakes and volcanoes are common features along tectonic plate boundaries, making these zones geologically very active.
In what ways is the plate tectonic theory helpful in explaining the occurrence of volcanoes and earthquake epicentres?
Answer: Colliding plates Plates sliding past each other cause friction and heat. Subducting plates melt into the mantle, and diverging plates create new crust material. Subducting plates, where one tectonic plate is being driven under another, are associated with volcanoes and earthquakes.
What did you learn about plate tectonics?
Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth’s outer shell is divided into large slabs of solid rock, called “plates,” that glide over Earth’s mantle, the rocky inner layer above Earth’s core. It lubricates the undersides of Earth’s tectonic plates, allowing the lithosphere to move around.
How does the study of plate tectonics shape our understanding of Earth as a planet?
Plate tectonics reveals how Earth’s surface is constantly in motion, and how its features — volcanoes, earthquakes, ocean basins and mountains — are intrinsically linked to its hot interior. The planet’s familiar landscapes, we now know, are products of an eons-long cycle in which the planet constantly remakes itself.
How does plate tectonics help regulate the Earth’s climate?
The movement of the plates also causes volcanoes and mountains to form and these can also contribute to a change in climate. Large mountain chains can influence the circulation of air around the globe, and consequently influence the climate. For example, warm air may be deflected to cooler regions by mountains.
How important is plate tectonics to the survival of Earth and its inhabitants?
Why plate tectonics is important. The process is actually very important to life on Earth. Several billion years ago, the surface of our Earth began forming into puzzle pieces called plates. This process trapped our atmospheric carbon dioxide into rocks and stabilized our climate, making Earth habitable.