GEOLOGY 1122K LAB: WEEK 3

HADEAN EON

TOPIC: PLATE TECTONICS

Student Name: Matthew DeLise

Complete your lab report form and submit it in the Dropbox Lab folder for Week 3.

View the You Tube video on Colliding Continents at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCSJNBMOjJs.

While viewing the video, stop at key points and answer the following questions.

1. Early Crust

What events occurred during the Hadean Eon to disrupt the early crust of the Earth?

Meteors bombarded the earths crust constantly.

2. Magma

What part of the Earths interior is the source of magma?

The lower part of the Earths crust. Decompression melting where the plate tectonics separate cause the
magma to surface.

3. Seafloor Spreading

What evidence do we have that magma erupts from the seafloor to produce seafloor spreading?

Pillow lava that have formed at the top of water.

4. Building Blocks of Continents

Which rock type formed the material for the early continents?

Granite formed the material for the early continents.

5. Continental Rifting

Where can we see continental rifting today?

In the Atlantic Ocean.

6. Destruction of Crust Material

What is the name of zones where crust material is destroyed?

Subduction zones are where crust material is destroyed.

7. Supercontinents

How did supercontinents form?

Supercontinents formed from the building of cratons and the tectonic plates shifting to connect multiple
continents together.

8. Fossil Evidence of Continental Drift

How do fossils serve as evidence of continental drift?

The same fossil has been found in Africa that was found in North America. Proving that they were at
once in the same place.

9. Supercontinents and Mass Extinctions

How did formation of the Supercontinent Pangea contribute to mass extinction of the dinosaurs?

Pangea causes drastic climate changes that helped it contribute to the mass extinction.

10. Mountain Building Events (Orogenies)

How are mountain ranges formed?

They are formed from the battle of colliding continents. The pinch-points of continental collision build
mountains.

11. Grand Canyon

How can we piece together the history of the Grand Canyon?

Through the fossils of Ocean creatures on the top of parts of the Grand Canyon. Theres no way for the
sea to fall 7,000 feet, so the land must have rose 7,000 feet. There are also multiple layers of rock that
couldnt have been brought up on top of each other without it originally forming on the floor of the
earth.

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12. Grand Canyon: Seafloor Fossils at 7,000 Feet above Sea Level

How did the seafloor fossils found at 7,000 above sea level on the rim of the Grand Canyon get there?

When the Grand Canyon formed, it created a vast plateau through continental drifting pushing the land
up. Causing the sea animals that were in that area to die and leave behind fossils.

13. Grand Canyon Formation

How did the Grand Canyon form?

Through continental drifting.

14. Isthmus of Panama

How did the Isthmus of Panama form between North and South America?

From explosions from the sea floor pushing up land. Eventually enough pieces were pushed up that they
connected and formed the bridge between North and South America.

15. Plate Tectonics and Climate Change

Using the Isthmus of Panama as an example, explain how plate tectonics can cause climate change.

Plate tectonics can cause climate change through changing the ocean currents which generates heat.
The creation of volcanic eruptions also releases gases that can change the climate.