Names:
Renz Kian A. Caballero
Ian Baclayon
Geol 105.1: Principles of Geology Lab
Exercise 1: Plate Tectonics
Objectives:
Material:
1. To utilize Google Earth in understanding
1. Laptop with Google Earth installed
global and Philippine plate tectonics.
2. To explain the relationship of plate
boundaries and distribution of earthquakes
and volcanoes in the context of global and
Philippine plate tectonics.
3. To explain the relationship of plate
boundaries and seafloor age.
4. To infer possible plate movements based on
the present evidence available and predict
possible plate tectonic events.
Setting up. Before starting Exercise 1, make sure to do the following steps:
1. Download and install the latest version of Google Earth.
2. Download the following .kmz/.kml files:
A. Dynamic Earth
B. Philippine Earthquakes (M >4.5) from January 2012 to January 2022
C. Active Faults and Trenches in the Philippines
D. Active and Potentially Active Volcanoes in the Philippines
3. Open Google Earth and load the downloaded files. Once loaded, right-click on the layers and
click “Save to My Places”. Rename the layers, if preferred.
Global plate tectonics. Using the Dynamic Earth layer, observe Google Earth and answer the
following questions. Cite references whenever necessary.
1. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model and Volcanoes of the World. Describe the
relationship between the plate boundaries and the distribution of volcanoes around the
world.
- We observe that most of the volcanoes are located near the plate boundaries, it is
mainly because of the movement of the converging plate which result to the formation
of volcanoes that are widely spread along the boundaries across the world.
2. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model and Seismicity. Describe the relationship
between the plate boundaries and the distribution of seismic activities around the world.
- There are a lot of geological activities happening along the plate boundaries one of it is
the movement of plates which can generate energy that causes the ground to shake this
energy can be recorded as seismic waves that’s why there are a lot of seismic activities
happening across the plate boundaries.
3. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model, Volcanoes of the World, and Seismicity. Find
the Pacific Plate. Describe the location of the plate boundaries and distribution of volcanoes
and seismic activities around the Pacific Plate.
- The location of the plate boundary is widely across the globe from Philippines through
Japan to North and South America. The distribution of volcanoes is almost surrounding
the pacific forming a ring shape, because of the plate boundaries that are present that
crosses almost the entire pacific it causes a lot of seismic activities due chains of
volcanoes and earthquakes.
What is this area around the Pacific Plate known as? Explain the reason for its name. Identify
the major and minor plates involved.
- This area around the Pacific Plate is known as Pacific Ring of Fire the reason for its name
is because throughout the length of the water’s edge, volcanoes are present forming a
belt or a ring the plates who are involve are Eurasian, North American, Juan De Fuca,
Cocos , Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian. And Philippine Plate.
4. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model and Hawaiian-Emperor chain under Volcanic
chains > Pacific Ocean Chains. Based on the age (in million years) indicated in the pins and
the location of the islands, infer the direction of movement of the Pacific Plate and cite
evidence for such.
- The Pacific Plate is moving towards Northwest with the speed of 7-11 cm per year. The
evidence that can justify the movement of the pacific plate is the formation of Hawaiian
Island Arcs, because of the movement of the pacific plate the islands which are created
because of the mantle convection that causes the lavas to erupt on the seafloor
resulting to the formation of volcanic island arcs that are eventually moving with the
pacific plate that’s why there are many island arcs created in Hawaii moving northwest.
5. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model and Tristan da Cunha under Volcanic chains
> Atlantic Ocean Chains. Based on the age (in million years) indicated in the pins and the
location of the islands, infer the direction of movement of the African Plate and cite
evidence for such.
- The African Plate stands with the North and South American Plate and its movement is
Northeast towards Eurasian Plate and the evidence of such movement is the forming of
sea mountains in the indicated pins that spreads Northeast just like the movement of
the plate itself. The forming of the sea mountains is cause by the African Plate’s
Divergent boundaries that causes spreading of seafloor as plates slowly move the heat
from the mantles convection current makes the crust less dense and the less dense
material will rises forming elevated seafloor.
6. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model and Tuff ages (Ma) under Volcanic chains >
Yellowstone-Snake River Plain. Based on the age (in million years) indicated in the pins and
the location of the islands, infer the direction of movement of the North American Plate and
cite evidence for such.
- Around 2.3 cm (1 inch) each year, the North American plate is travelling in a westsouthwest direction, one of its pieces of evidence is the mid-Atlantic ridge because of
the movement of North American Plate the Atlantic is growing at the ridge but the main
evidence is the tuff movement which we can see that they are also moving west
southwest from its youngest located on the right to the oldest located on the left side
because of the movement of north American plate which is west southwest it triggers
the volcanoes to erupt resulting to the formation of volcanic tuff which is indicated in
the pins.
7. Given the current direction of movement of the African and North American plates, what
would happen to the North Atlantic Ocean if this continues on for the next few million
years? Explain.
- If the African and North American plates continue to move the North Atlantic Ocean will
be wider because of the diverging of plates then it will create a new crust underwater
because of the convection current the magma will uplift and then rapidly cooled down.
8. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model and Seafloor Age. Which type of plate
boundaries are younger seafloors located? Explain the reason for such.
- The Divergent Plate Boundary has younger seafloors because as plates move apart or
move away from each other new crustal material is formed from molten magma
younger seafloor can be found or located near seafloor spreading center.
9. Uncheck all layers except Plate boundary model and Seafloor Age. Which type of plate
boundaries are older seafloors located? Explain the reason for such.
- The older seafloors are located far away from the center or far away from the Mid
Atlantic Ridge because of the Divergent Plate the older seafloors move away as the
result new crustal material will fill up making it younger seafloor.
Philippine Plate Tectonics. Using the Philippine Earthquakes (M >4.5) from January 2012 to January
2022 (USGS Earthquakes), Active Faults and Trenches in the Philippines (AF_National_08122021),
and Distribution of Active and Potentially Active Volcanoes in the Philippines_2016 layers, observe
Google Earth and answer the following questions. Cite references whenever necessary.
1. Identify the major and/or minor tectonic plate/s in which the Philippines is situated and
determine the type of plate boundary involved. Cite evidence for such.
- Pacific, Indo-Australian, and Eurasian/Sunderland plates, Caroline Plate, Yangtze Plate,
Mariana Plate, Philippine Plate. The type of boundary is Convergent because of the
formation of volcanoes and the presence of the Philippine trench.
2. Uncheck all layers except Philippine Earthquakes (M >4.5) from January 2012 to January
2022 (USGS Earthquakes). Describe the distribution of earthquakes in the Philippines.
Explain the reason for such.
- The earthquakes in the Philippines usually happened along the Philippine fault its
because of the two plates who are going towards each other the Philippine plate and the
Eurasian Plate which forms the fault resulted to the distribution of earthquakes along
the area.
3. Uncheck all layers except Philippine Earthquakes (M >4.5) from January 2012 to January
2022 (USGS Earthquakes) and Distribution of Active and Potentially Active Volcanoes in the
Philippines_2016. Describe the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes in Palawan.
Explain the reason for such.
- Due to the absence of any nearby active faults, Palawan has almost no seismic activity
and has no volcanoes but the Palawan province is still prone to earthquake related
hazard like tsunami.
References. Use APA format.
1.
Duncan, R.A., Clague, D.A. (1985). Pacific Plate Motion Recorded by Linear Volcanic Chains. In: Nairn, A.E.M.,
Stehli, F.G., Uyeda, S. (eds) The Ocean Basins and Margins. Springer, Boston, MA.
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5.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-2351-8_3
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