GLG 112 Geoligic Disasters 1/16/15 Lecture 3Outline of Last Lecture I. Layers of the earthOutline of Current Lecture II. What is the theory of Plate Tectonics?A. Observationsa. Volcanoes and earthquakesb. Topography and Bathymetryc. Sea Floor AgeB. Definition = “Earth’s lithosphere is broken into plates that move.”III. How does it work and why?A. Answer = through the internal heat of the earthB. Heat transfera. Conduction = the movement of heat through solid material (i.e. how a metal pot gets hot on the stove)b. Convection = the movement of heat through substances that flow (i.e. boiling water)Current LectureGeologists study plate tectonics to find out what the earth must have looked like millionsof years ago. They also want to study patterns of natural disasters because, especially in the case of volcanoes and earthquakes, none of them are random in location or timing. Earthquakestend to happen in higher elevations on land and in shallower waters. For example, there is a strip of shallow water running down the Atlantic Ocean where a lot have earthquakes have happened. No one was interested in studying the lower parts of the ocean until World War 2 because of cost. It was not until WW2 that we noticed there was a lot more down here than we realized (places for us to hide, places for the enemy to hide). To sum up this first section, the earth’s outer layer (lithosphere) is broken into plates that move and cause separation with disasters like earthquakes. Furthermore, plate tectonics works through the heat of the earth. There are two ways heat moves through objects. These are conduction and convection. Conduction is how heat These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.moves through solid objects like the core. Convection is how heat moves through liquid substances like the asthenosphere. When thinking of these two ways of transfer think of a pot of boiling water. The stove heat quickly makes the metal pot hot; that is why we put plastic handles on most pots. This is conduction. On the other hand, convection is how the stove heats up the bottom of the water and rises so that the cooler water can come down and heat
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