EAS 10600 #M Group E

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Lab 3: Discovering Plate Boundaries Classifications

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  • #109341
    Francesca Lingo
    Participant

    Discussion Prompt – Due no later than Friday 2/26/2020 11:59 pm

    Now that you have made and recorded your observations, write a brief summary to share your boundary classifications with your group. Your post should include 4 sets of classifications, one for each map, i.e., the V, E, T, and S boundaries. If you had lingering questions or observations you felt you could not properly classify, make note of those in this post.

    This topic was also posted in: EAS 10600 #M Group B, EAS 10600 #M Group C, EAS 10600 #M Group D, EAS 10600 #M Group F, EAS 10600 #M Group A.
    #109389

    Here are my observations. They might be a bit long-winded. I can cut them down if needed.

    1. a. Volcanoes are not present at all boundaries. b. The majority of volcanoes at contintental plate boundaries trend towards following the edge of the landmass, and most of the volcanoes move further inland rather than outwards to the ocean, as is seen at the Pacific-North American plate boundary. Very few volcanoes appear at oceanic plat boundaries, with an exception at the Australian-Eurasian plate boundary near Indonesia, where a line of volcanoes is observed along the fault. The western edge of the Pacific plate also forms a line of volcanoes along its boundary, though there is no general trend of volcanic activity towards one side or another. The African plate doesn’t seem to have clear patterns of volcanic activity along any of its boundaries.
    c. V1: Continental-oceanic plate boundary. Forms a line of volcanoes along the edge of the landmass’ boundary that trends inland.
    V2: Oceanic-oceanic plate boundary. Scattered but not uniform volcanic activity.
    V3: Oceanic-Eurasian plate boundary. Lines of volcanoes that do not trend towards any direction and are not directly on the mainland.

    2. a. Earthquakes are present at all boundaries, though less so at seafloor locations. b. Earthquakes are heavily concentrated at locations where volcanic activity is present, but persist and spread further into the plates at points. Earthquakes occur most frequently where continental crust meets continental crust, and at these points the quakes can be seen at both sides of the boundary. At oceanic meeting points, any earthquakes are confined to either the ridge or just slightly inland of the ridge.
    c. E1: Continental-continental plate boundary. Extremely pronounced earthquake frequency and dispersion throughout crust.
    E2: Oceanic-oceanic plate boundary. Evidence of earthquakes along the boundary only.
    E3: Oceanic-continental plate boundary. Heavy earthquakes that trend inland and only disperse at points where continental crust becomes oceanic crust.
    E4: Low earthquake activity. Occurs often at mid-ocean areas.

    3. a. Distinct linear ridges appear at boundaries between oceanic crust that drop down at either side. Mountain chains form where continental crust meets oceanic crust, as well as at continental-continental boundaries. The highest mountains appear where crust above sea level meets. At the western side of the North American plate, both mountain chains and trenches form where land and ocean is present, respectively.
    b. T1: Mid-ocean ridges. Increases of elevation at the seafloor where oceanic crust meets.
    T2: Mountain chain forming boundaries. Formation of land-based mountains at plate boundaries.
    T3: Trench forming boundaries. Boundaries where large mountains are not formed, but the seafloor is depressed.

    4. a. The seafloor is young at all oceanic boundaries that do not meet continental crust, except for the eastern Pacific plate, which is spreading despite being adjacent to the North American west coast. b. The age of the seafloor is increasing at the same rate at both sides of the boundaries, but some boundaries are spreading faster than others. This is the main basis at which the mid-ocean ridges can be differentiated based on age.
    c. S1: Quickly spreading seafloor. The age increases slowly as distance from the boundary increases, so the rock moved further over a shorter period of time.
    S2: Slowly spreading seafloor. The age increases quickly as distance from the boundary increases, so the spreading was slower over time. The best example of this is the boundary in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
    S3: Non-spreading crust. Boundaries that do not generate seafloor, or subduction zones that destroy old seafloor crust.

    #109392
    Dahlia Michilena
    Participant
    1. I would say that volcanoes do not occur at ALL plate boundaries but some.

    Volcanoes can occur at plate boundaries (like the trail between the North American and Pacific Plate), however, they can also occur within plates (such as those within the Pacific Plate). They also can occur in a combination of clustered (boundary of North American and Eurasian Plates) and linear form (Pacific/Eurasian Plate Boundary). Those that are along plate boundaries are located very close to each other, however, the few that are located within plates are spread apart. Most seem to occur on top and around plate boundaries, and others are slightly off of the boundary.

    V1: Along the west coast of the United States

    V2: Down the west coast of South America, along Chile

    V3: Cluster near Iceland

    V4: light and distant trail down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

    V5: solid line above Australia

    V6: A long line/cluster trailing down East Asia

     

    1. Earthquakes seem to be present at almost every plate boundary on the map.

    The earthquakes on the map outline the plate boundaries lightly with a heavy concentration on certain boundaries (ex: Pacific/Eurasian/Australian Plate Boundaries). They occur in a linear pattern when outlining the plate boundaries, however, they also occur in large clusters at plate boundaries (ex: African/Eurasian Plate Boundary). At times, it seems that earthquakes occur on one side of the boundary more than the other. The farther from the boundary, the gradient of earthquakes seems to change slightly.

    E1: Almost the entirety of Europe

    E2: Along the west coast of the United States

    E3: Down the west coast of South America; along Chile

    E4: Down the coast of East Asia, within the Pacific Ocean

    E5: Linear, above Australia

    E6: Down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

     

    1. Elevation seems to be significantly higher or significantly lower that the surrounding areas at plate boundaries. There are also few higher elevations that occur within plates. In the ocean, trenches are visible, as well as chains of elevated land (mid ocean ridge). Mountains also occur at plate boundaries, some clusters, but also linear in that they follow along the boundary (India/Eurasian Plate Boundary).

    T1: Elevation down the Atlantic Ocean

    T2: Elevation down the southeast Pacific Ocean

    T3: Elevation in southern Asia, southern Africa, & western North America

     

    1. The age of the seafloor nearest to the plate boundaries all seem fairly new, except for maybe the Pacific/Eurasian Plate boundary.

    The age of the seafloor seems to be almost symmetrical in its aging, where both sides of the boundary have the same amount of new ocean floor. The age of the ocean floor closest to the plate boundaries is younger than the floor farthest from them.

    S1: New ocean floor down the Atlantic Ocean, down the west coast of North America towards the eastern part of the Pacific, & curved down the middle of the Indian Ocean

    S2: Very old ocean floor near the east coast of the United States, northwest Africa, & the West Pacific

    #109437
    Yussef Ibarra
    Participant

    1) Volcanoes are not present at all boundaries. There are volcanoes outside of plate boundaries. Along the west coast in North America, volcanoes occur in a linear pattern, along the Pacific plate boundary. Volcanoes are a bit more clustered on the Nazca and South American plate boundary. There are no discernible patterns of volcanoes not on top of boundaries spread out in the ocean. Other volcanoes exist on top of the boundary in a linear pattern on the Australian plate and Pacific plate along Asia.
    V1: A plate boundary where there is a chain of volcanoes along the boundary of a land mass and the ocean.
    V2: A loose and scattered number of volcanoes along plate boundaries in the ocean. No linear pattern found at all.
    V3: A loose line of volcanoes inland, not chained like V1.
    2) Earthquakes are present at all boundaries, where stronger earthquakes are outside oceanic boundaries. earthquakes are loosely distributed along oceanic boundaries but still form a chain along these plate boundaries. There is a massive cluster of earthquakes in the African plate and the Eurasian plate boundary in Europe. Along the Pacific plate and the Australian plate, there are chains of earthquakes, lighter earthquakes.
    E1: Frequent Earthquakes are found on plate boundaries of landmasses.
    E2: Less Frequent Earthquakes are found along oceanic plate boundaries.
    E3: Very infrequent Earthquake activity along mid-ocean areas.
    E4: On oceanic-continental plate boundaries, where Earthquakes are intense inland.
    3) Along oceanic plate boundaries, there are noticeable ridges under the ocean. Higher elevations are visible along continental-continental boundaries such as the boundary between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plates. These mountain ranges are visible throughout world. Where land and ocean meet, trenches are visible like at the plate boundary of the Pacific Plate near Asia.
    T1: Mountain chains on land masses, higher elevations compared to other places.
    T2: High elevation points at the seafloor where oceanic plate boundaries meet.
    T3: Subduction zones where trenches are formed along plate boundaries.
    4) For the most part, the youngest seafloor is found at oceanic plate boundaries outside from any continental boundaries. Older seafloor is found along the east coast of North America, the west coast of West Africa, and the east coast of East Africa along Madagascar. Older seafloor is also found in the Pacific plate near Asia. At both sides of the boundaries, the seafloor is increasing at similar rates or faster rates. All over the world, some boundaries create seafloor faster.
    S1: Seafloor that spreads slowly, where age increases faster as it moves further away from the plate boundary.
    S2: Seafloor that spreads quickly, where seafloor ages slowly as it moves further away from the plate boundary.
    S3: Subduction zones where no seafloor is created.

    #109463
    Jonathan Anwar
    Participant

    1.

    a. Volcanoes are not present in all boundaries.

    b. The volcanoes occur in somewhat of a linear pattern. However, there are also some clusters of volcanoes. Volcanoes also tend to occur at the edge of the boundary instead of in the middle. They also occur usually only on 1 side of the boundary. They tend to also go towards land rather than a body of water.

    c. Based on these observations, I can identify unique boundaries:

    V1= Boundaries with volcanoes on all sides (Pacific Plate).

    V2= Boundaries with volcanoes only on 1 side (Australian Plate).

    V3= Boundaries with volcanoes in the middle of the boundary (African Plate).

    V4= Boundaries with no volcanoes in the middle of the boundary (North America Plate).

     2.

    a. Yes, earthquakes are present in all boundaries.

    b. From my observation, earthquakes occur in a linear pattern. However, there are some clusters present in some boundaries as well. The earthquakes are not very spread out and mostly happen in groups. Earthquakes also happen to occur at the edge of every boundary, outlining the boundary itself. Earthquakes that are at the edge of the boundaries tend to be red, and get less intense the farther away from the edge they get. Earthquakes also seem to be present more where there are volcanoes.

    c. Based on these observations, I can identify 4 boundaries.

    E1= Plate boundaries with no earthquakes within the boundary (Arctic Plate)

    E2= Plate boundaries with earthquakes only on 1 side (Indian Plate)

    E3= Plates with earthquakes on all sides (Pacific Plate).

    E4= Plates with earthquakes very condensed in 1 area that is not the edge (Eurasian Plate).

    3.

    a. Elevation is different from its surroundings at a plate boundary. For example, in places where elevation is low, the plate boundaries tend to be higher than the surroundings, and if the elevation is high, the plate boundary tends to be lower.

    b. T1= High elevation in the ocean (Pacific Plate).

    T2=  High elevation (Indian-Eurasian Plate).

     4.

    a. The seafloor age is small at the boundaries, excerpt for the eastern part of the Pacific Plate which seems to be older than the rest.

    b. The aging on both sides of the boundaries appears to be similar. The age increases in a symmetrical pattern the farther out from the plate boundary you go.

    c. S1= Fast spreading floor (Eastern of Pacific Plate).

    S2= Slow spreading floor (Western African Plate).

     

    #109875
    Mohammad Shaham
    Participant
    1. a) Volcanos are not present at all boundaries

    b) V1- Volcanos are mostly occur near pacific plate, African plate and Australian plate.

    V2- No linear pattern and They are scattered pattern, and some are clustered pattern.

    V3- In some of the places many volcanos occur in small area and in some area, they are spread out.

    V4- The boundary of the pattern on side of boundary

    c) The observation of unique plate boundary is below:

    V1- Continental-oceanic plate boundary: A line of volcanoes along the edge.

    V2- Oceanic-oceanic plate boundary:  They are Scattered but not uniform.

    V3- Oceanic-Eurasian plate boundary: There are lines of volcanoes that do not line towards any direction.

     

    2.a) Earthquakes are not present in all boundaries.

    b) E1- Earthquakes are mostly occur near pacific plate, African plate and Australian plate.

    E2- No linear pattern and They are scattered pattern, and some are clustered pattern.

    E3- In some of the places many earthquakes occur in small area and in some area, they are spread out. Some of them are on the top of the boundaries. There are so many earthquakes in African plates.

    E4- The boundary of the pattern on side of boundary

    c) The observation of unique plate boundary is below:

    E1- Continental-oceanic plate boundary: A line of earthquakes along the edge.

    E2- Oceanic-oceanic plate boundary:  They are Scattered but not uniform.

    E3- Oceanic-Eurasian plate boundary: There are lines of volcanoes that do not line towards any direction.

     

    1. The elevation tends to be significantly greater or significantly lower than the plate borders of the surrounding areas. There are also some greater elevations inside plates that occur. Trenches are evident in the ocean, as well as chains of raised ground. Mountains, some clusters, also occur at plate boundaries, but also linear in that they follow along the boundary.

    T1: the Atlantic Ocean Elevation

    T2: Elevation of the Pacific Ocean to the southeast

    T3: Boundary trench formation. Boundaries that do not form broad mountains but depress the seafloor.

     

    1. All seem new to the age of the seafloor closest to the plate boundaries, excluding maybe the border of the Pacific/Eurasian Plate.

    a) S1: 1The age of the seafloor tends to be almost symmetrical as it is aged, with the same amount of fresh ocean floor on both sides of the border.

    S2: The age of the ocean floor nearest the borders of the plate is younger than that of the   floor farthest from them.

    b) Age decreases in the right side of the boundary.

    c)There are not a lot of unique boundaries.

    S1: Eastern of pacific plates are fast speeding floor.

    S1: Western African Plate are slow spreading floor.

     

    #109920
    Emily Jiang
    Participant

    1a. The volcanoes are not present at all boundaries.

    b. The volcanoes occur in clusters, the most clustered ones are the ones around the Pacific plate, Australian plate, a few at the African plate, and a small few in one spot at one portion of the Eurasian plate. The volcanoes at the Pacific plate go around the top and sides of the plate but none at the bottom. The volcanoes at the Australian plate only occur at the top of the plate. There are a couple volcanoes sprouted around the African plate although there is a small cluster inside the plate, near the top area. Around the Eurasian plate, there is only one small area where the volcanoes cluster and it is on the left side, where Iceland is.

    c. V1- volcanoes existing along the top and sides of a boundary (Pacific Plate and the Australian plate)

    V2- volcanoes scattered about in a plate with no specific pattern (African plate and Eurasian plate)

    V3- volcanoes clustering in a small area (Eurasian plate, specifically at Iceland)

    V4- minimal amount of volcanoes around the plate boundary  (North American plate, Antarctica plate)

    2a. Earthquakes are present at all boundaries although some have more and some have less so it appears more faint on the map.

    b. Earthquakes appear around the boundaries of every plate but there are bigger clusters around the Pacific plate, Australian plate, Eurasian plate, South American plate, Cocos plate, and a few around the Caribbean plate. The earthquakes surround the top and sides of the Pacific plate and the Australian plate (with more emphasis on the top and right side). These plates have more of a mix of blue and green with a couple red areas. On the Eurasian plate, there is a huge cluster of earthquakes (colored red) on the bottom left with no pattern. There is also another area on the Eurasian plate that is clustered although it does not lie on the Eurasian boundaries, it is still notable. They lie on the bottom right of the plate and seem to have somewhat of a linear pattern. On the South American plate, the earthquakes cluster on the left side which then leads up to the Caribbean plate on the right side. There is a linear set of earthquakes on the Cocos plate that goes diagonally down. All other earthquakes simply just outline the other plates.

    c. E1- earthquakes that simply outline the plate (African plate)

    E2- earthquakes that cluster heavily in one area of the plate (Eurasian plate)

    E3- earthquakes that surround the plate on the top and the sides (Pacific and Australian plate)

    E4- earthquakes that are scattered about inside a plate (African plate)

    3a. Near the plate boundaries, where the ocean meets a plate, there appears to be some ridges. Like the Pacific plate or the African plate, there is a visible ridge that outlines the plate boundaries. In some areas there are higher mountains compared to others. Like in the Indian plate, there are some high mountains noted by the white color. Other areas that are of somewhat high elevation compared to the land are Greenland, which is in the North American plate, and Antarctica, which is in the Antarctica plate. Along the west coast of North America, the south of Africa, and the southeast side of Asia are the areas that have somewhat higher elevations in terms of land. These areas of high elevations on land are usually clustered with no pattern. Sometimes they even cover the whole continent like in Greenland. There are also some areas that are of lower elevations when the ocean meets land, noted by the teal color on the map. These note areas of trenches. The top part of the Eurasian plate have a large area where the ocean is of lower elevation.

    b. T1- higher elevation on land, meaning mountains (Greenland/ east of the North American plate, Indian plate, Antarctica plate)

    T2- ocean ridges are apparent where the ocean meets the plate boundary (Pacific, Africa plates)

    T3- trenches are apparent where the ocean meets the land

    T4- lower elevation areas in the ocean (the top of the Eurasian plate)

    4a. The seafloor age is not the same at all boundaries, it is the youngest in between the Pacific and Cocos plate, African plate, Australian plate, and the Eurasian plate. The oldest seafloor age is the Pacific plate, on the right side of the map.

    b. Age increases from the east side of the Pacific plate to the west side. Around the Eurasian plate, as it spreads to the left, leaking into the North American plate, the seafloor age gets older and also as it spreads to the right, leaking more into the Eurasian and African plate. The Australian plate seems to have younger seafloor on the bottom of the plate as it goes into the Indian plate but get older as it goes to the east side of the African plate.

    c. S1- younger seafloor around the boundaries of the plate (Eurasian, African plate)

    S2- transition of younger seafloor to older seafloor from the right to the left of the plate (Pacific plate)

    S3- as the seafloor goes more into a plate, it gets older (Eurasian – North America plate, Eurasian plate, African plate)

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