tom is marking the locations of active volcanoes on a world map. how the locations of the volcanoes are related to earths plats.
http://www.google.com/search?q=earth+tectonic+plate+map&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiehtH6zLfQAhVIKiYKHeDDAnQQsAQIHA&biw=1366&bih=638
Here are images showing you the earth's plates. Where are the volcanoes located, do you think?
Volcanoes are where two plates meet and one plate is pushed under another plate. This is called a convergent and aconvergent is where volcanoes are located.
The locations of volcanoes on Earth are closely related to the movement and interaction of Earth's tectonic plates. Here are the steps to understand this relationship:
Step 1: Understand Tectonic Plates
Earth's outer shell, known as the lithosphere, is divided into several large and small pieces called tectonic plates. There are about a dozen major plates and several minor ones. These plates are constantly moving, either colliding, pulling apart, or sliding past each other.
Step 2: Plate Boundaries
The boundaries where these plates interact are the key locations for volcanic activity. There are mainly three types of plate boundaries:
a. Divergent Boundaries: When tectonic plates move apart, magma rises from the underlying mantle to fill the gap, creating new crust. This process leads to the formation of volcanoes along the plate boundary. Famous examples of divergent boundaries include the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East African Rift System.
b. Convergent Boundaries: When two plates collide, one plate is usually forced beneath the other in a process called subduction. The subduction of an oceanic plate beneath a continental plate or another oceanic plate can create a subduction zone. As the subducting plate sinks deeper into the mantle, it generates intense heat and pressure, causing magma to form and rise through the overlying plate. This magma can erupt at the surface, forming volcanoes. Examples of convergent boundaries with volcanic activity include the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Andes Mountains.
c. Transform Boundaries: At a transform boundary, two plates slide past each other horizontally. Volcanic activity is not typically associated with transform boundaries, as they are characterized by intense lateral movement rather than the creation or destruction of crust.
Step 3: Hotspots
In addition to plate boundaries, volcanic activity can also occur in locations known as hotspots. Hotspots are areas beneath the Earth's crust where molten rock, or magma, rises to the surface. These hotspots are relatively stable compared to tectonic plate boundaries. As the tectonic plate moves over the hotspot, a chain of volcanoes can form. The Hawaiian Islands are a famous example of a volcanic hotspot chain.
Step 4: Mapping Volcanoes
To mark the locations of active volcanoes on a world map, Tom would need to identify the tectonic plate boundaries and hotspots where volcanic activity occurs. By studying geological data, seismic activity, and historical records of eruptions, Tom can identify the regions and specific locations where active volcanoes are found. These areas are typically associated with tectonic plate boundaries, such as subduction zones or divergent boundaries, or with known volcanic hotspots.
By understanding the relationship between tectonic plates and volcanic activity, Tom can accurately mark the locations of active volcanoes on the world map.
To understand how the locations of volcanoes are related to Earth's plates, you need to learn about the theory of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics states that Earth's outer shell, or lithosphere, is divided into several rigid pieces called tectonic plates. These plates are constantly moving, albeit very slowly, floating on the semi-fluid layer beneath them called the asthenosphere.
Volcanoes often occur at the boundaries of these tectonic plates. There are three main types of plate boundaries where volcanic activity can be observed:
1. Divergent Boundaries: At divergent boundaries, two tectonic plates move away from each other. This usually occurs at mid-ocean ridges. As the plates separate, magma from the mantle rises to fill the gap, forming new crust. This process creates volcanic activity, such as underwater volcanoes and volcanic islands.
2. Convergent Boundaries: At convergent boundaries, two plates collide with each other. There are three types of convergent boundaries: oceanic-oceanic, oceanic-continental, and continental-continental.
- Oceanic-Oceanic Convergence: When two oceanic plates collide, one may be forced underneath the other in a process called subduction. As the subducting plate sinks into the mantle, it generates intense heat and pressure, leading to the formation of magma. This magma rises to the surface, resulting in the formation of volcanic arcs, like the Indonesian archipelago or the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
- Oceanic-Continental Convergence: When an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate, subduction occurs as well. The denser oceanic plate sinks beneath the less dense continental plate. The subducted oceanic plate melts, and the magma rises to form mountain ranges along the edge of the continent. This process often leads to the formation of volcanoes, such as the Andes in South America or the Cascades in the western United States.
- Continental-Continental Convergence: When two continental plates collide, neither of them is subducted because they have similar densities. Instead, the collision leads to the formation of massive mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas.
3. Transform Boundaries: At transform boundaries, two plates slide past each other horizontally. While volcanic activity is not directly associated with transform boundaries, there can be localized volcanic activity due to the presence of hotspots or fractures within the Earth's crust.
In summary, the locations of volcanoes are related to Earth's tectonic plates. Volcanic activity mostly occurs at divergent boundaries, where plates move apart, and at convergent boundaries, where plates collide and one is forced beneath the other. Transform boundaries can also have localized volcanic activity in specific cases. By examining the relationships between plate boundaries and volcanoes, Tom can mark these locations on the world map.