Planet Earth:

Physics on a Global Scale

 Outline for this series:

Plate Tectonics

How do mountains grow?

Why are volcanoes clustered in certain parts of the Earth?
What causes earthquakes?

Earth dynamics

What makes the plates move?

What is the composition of the Earth?
Does plate tectonics occur on other planets?
Structure of the Earth
silicates (ceramic)

Solid Iron-Nickel Alloy

Liquid Iron-Nickel Alloy

Plate Tectonics

Earth’s crust is broken into about 12 rigid plates

Plates move ~ cm/year
3 types of plate boundaries:
divergent
creation of new seafloor
convergent
return of crust to Earth’s interior
transverse
 Shape of Continents
and
Similarity of Fossils and Mountain Belts
 Continental Drift (1915)

Alfred Wegener (1880-1930)

Continents plow through oceanic crust

fit together of continents

similarity of fossils, mountain belts

Rejected due to lack of mechanism

Plate Tectonics and The Cold War

Seafloor topography for submarine navigation

ridges, trenches
Magnetic surveys searching for submarines
magnetic anomalies of sea floor
Global seismic network for monitoring of atomic testing
illuminate plate boundaries
Remnant magnetization of rocks

Above Curie point

Below Curie Point,

no external magnetic field

Below Curie Point,

external magnetic field

Demo
 Magnetic Field Reversals
normal polarity

reversed polarity
field strength Ridge Axis

Normal polarity

50 km

Reverse polarity

Normal polarity
 Wadati-Benioff Zones

earthquake location

Earthquakes illuminate a surface dipping into the Earth’s interior

Earth’s Tectonic Plates

Spreading transform
Subduction Plate motion
 Relative Plate Motions
Age of the Oceanic Crust

New material formed at ridges due to plates pulling apart

Absolute Plate Motions
“fixed” hotspots
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

today
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

620 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

590 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

560 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

520 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

490 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

450 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

420 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

390 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

360 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

330 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

300 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

270 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

240 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

210 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

180 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

150 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

120 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

90 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

30 Ma
Australia
Eurasia
North America
South America
Africa
Antarctica

today
Plate Tectonics

Earth’s crust is broken into about 12 rigid plates

Plates move ~ cm/year
3 types of plate boundaries:
divergent
creation of new seafloor
convergent
return of crust to Earth’s interior
transverse
Divergent plate boundary

East Pacific Rise

Topography
opening at 15 cm/yr
 East-African Rift

opening at 6 mm/yr
 Convergent Plate Boundaries

Andes

Kavachi, Soloman Islands

March 26, 2002

Himalayas
Wadati-Benioff Zones

earthquake location
Transform Boundaries

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

San Andreas Fault

 demo: mechanism
demo: p and s waves, location (thunder/lightening)

Earthquakes
1999 Izmit MW=7.4

1999 Chi-Chi MW=7.7

Tsunamis

1992 Indonesia
Seismograms
Earthquake Magnitude:
Several different magnitude scales
ML local magnitude
mb body wave magnitude
MS surface wave magnitude
MW moment magnitude
~ log( DA)
Largest Recorded Earthquake, MW=9.5:
May 22, 1960, Chile
MW=9.5: releases 1025 ergs ~annual energy consumption of US
Largest Recorded Earthquake in the US, MW=9.2:
“Good Friday Earthquake,” March 28, 1964
Largest Recorded Earthquake in Michigan, ML=4.6:
August 10, 1947
 Summary
Motions at the surface cause
mountains
earthquakes
volcanoes
For More Information:

Plate tectonics
pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html
Earthquakes
www.geophys.washington.edu/seismosurfing.html
www.geo.lsa.umich.edu/~MichSeis/
Earthquake Safety
www.johnmartin.com/earthquakes/EQGUIDES/index.htm