Week Two: Tectonics!
This week we learned about the different plate tectonics that make the Earth's crust move. As you know my country of choice is England. It sits right in the middle of the Eurasian Plate and not on a tectonic border. There are a wide range of plate boundaries that form in relation to one other. The divergent boundary are usually ocean plates that causes when the spreading of two plates move away from each other (Keller). The closest boundary to my humble country is the Mid-Atlantic ridge. It sits, quite appropriately named, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. As the borders start to spread apart new lithosphere is added creating new sea floor (Keller). Pretty cool right? It does come with a price however. Side effects of this movement can be recorded as light to moderate earthquakes and nonexplosive eruptions (Keller). These might sound like scary events but they are perfectly normal and are the natural progression of the Earth's movement. Thank you and until next time, take care.
Keller, Edward A., and Robert H. Blodgett. Natural Hazards: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteThis is my third try. My comment doesn't seem to get published!
It appears that our countries have similar geologic attributes. Both England and South Korea are on the Eurasian Tectonic Plate, and neither has a plate boundary that is close enough to pose a serious threat, such as a catastrophic earthquake or a volcanic eruption. It will be interesting to compare and contrast our countries in the weeks to come!
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteMy country's geological is the complete opposite of England. Iceland sits right on the plate boundaries of Eurasian and North American plates. In fact the Mid-Atlantic Ridge cuts right through he middle of Iceland which is, in my mind, pretty cool. It offers a rare look into plate tectonics happening above the deep ocean level. The downside is that Iceland is always under the threat of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or a volcano erupting like Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 which not only caused issues for Iceland but disrupted air travel for numerous countries. Looking forward to learning more about England in the weeks to come.
Jennifer
Hi Kate!
ReplyDeleteThe country I am studying this semester is Italy, and in regards to England, it seems as if both counties hold similar geographic attributes. Both our countries lie within the Eurasian Plate, but while you mentioned that England lies in the middle, Italy lies very low on the Eurasian Plate, very close to its border. Like England, Italy does not lie directly on a ridge, but the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the closest to Italy's borders. Active volcanoes can be found in Italy, like Mount Etna for example, where eruptions do occur quite often. Its last explosion was on May 16, 2015, which I find completely fascinating and cool. Mount Etna is located on one of Italy's islands, Sicily, so it is neat that such an active volcano is found on such a relatively small island. Since England and Italy seem to hold so much similarity in regards to plate's and ridges, I am eager to see how our counties continue to compare or contrast over the months ahead!
--Alexis Olmo
Great entry (and lots of early responses you are getting!). As is the case for others in class, you are not really close to a boundary now but that doesnt mean you'll be bored talking about England...lots coming your way-
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Same as my Switzerland, England does not have a plate boundary anywhere near. For Switzerland, the closest boundary is all the way across the Mediterranean at the Eurasian-African boundary.
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