"The idea that mountains rose from Sea Level is a THEORY. Plate Tectonics is not proven as a matter of fact, and there is much evidence and logic against it."
LOL
Plate Tectonics is not proven as a matter of fact
Yes it is
Plate Tectonics
As early as the 16th century, cartographers noted that the continents appeared to fit together like pieces of a grand jigsaw puzzle. During the 19th century, various geologists and explorers, including Charles Darwin, noticed that many fossilized remains and geological formations were similar across the continents. To make sense of these phenomena, 20th century Austrian geologist Eduard Sues proposed a theory that the continents were once part of a large supercontinent, which he called Gwondanaland. In 1915, German meteorologist
Alfred L. Wegener published his theory that 200 to 300 million years ago, the continents were once joined together in a large landform, called Pangaea, and that they had drifted apart to form separate land masses as well as the Atlantic Ocean basin.
Wegener's theory was rejected by the scientific community, in part because of a prevailing view at that time that the Earth was solid and rigid. Were it not for a small dedicated group of scientists and the emergence of new scientific data and methods, the theory could have been largely forgotten. Fortunately, a new field of scientific study, paleomagnetism, emerged giving proponents of Wegener's theory new hope that they might be able to prove the existence of a super continent.
When some rocks are created, they are magnetized in the direction of the earth's magnetic field. Paleomagnetists, drilling into prehistoric rock, discovered that the Earth's magnetic field, in fact, changes direction every few hundred thousand years. Observations of these alternating regions, found to be symmetrical on both sides of ocean floor ridges, have given scientists strong evidence of a key mechanism for creating continental drift. As new material wells up from the Earth's mantle, the sea floor spreads.
However, it was only in the 1960s, when improved seismological instrumentation and other measuring devices were developed, that Wegener's theory was confirmed. In studies funded by the U.S. Navy to improve submarine warfare, researchers began mapping the ocean floor, collecting data to explain the magnetic anomalies that were affecting sonar readings. From this data, scientists confirmed that the sea floor was indeed spreading apart.
In 1985, the Navy launched a satellite called "
Geosat" whose goal was to measure variations in gravity on the Earth's surface, which would then submarine commanders - and scientists - where underwater mountains and valleys were located. From 500 miles above the Earth, Geosat used radar to create an incredibly accurate map of the sea floor. Within a few short years, scientists studying this new data found conclusive evidence of continental drift and discovered additional evidence to validate the theory of plate tectonics.
Scientists now understand that the Earth's surface (the upper 45-60 miles of crust) is divided into massive plates which move 1 to 4 inches per year. The margins of where these plates spread, collide, and slide past each other are where earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains are concentrated.
There are plates of drastically different shapes and sizes that move along the Earth's crust. From the massive Pacific and European plates, to the smaller Caribbean and Juan de Fuca plates, each plate can react differently when coming into contact with another plate.
Converging boundaries occur when two plates collide. The area where one plate slides over another is called the subduction zone.
Transverse boundaries occur when two plates simply slide past one another, which occurs less frequently. The stress and strain that results from the sliding of plates results in faults. As the stress becomes too great for the plates to bear, earthquakes can occur. A
spreading boundary is characterized by two tectonic plates pulling apart from one another. Spreading boundaries typically have high levels of volcanic activity, since the Earth's crust is cracking and weakening, thus exposing the mantle below.
A wide variety of geographic formations are explained by from plate activity. The activity of the so-called "
Ring of Fire," a famous group of extremely powerful volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean, is caused by the movement of tectonic plates. The collusion of the Juan de Fuca and Gorda plates created the Cascade Mountain range and was responsible for the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The subduction of the Pacific plate under the Eurasian plate created the Japanese islands, and, in South America, the South American plate collided with the Nazca plate to create the Andes Mountains as well as both the Cotopaxi and Azul volcanoes.
Scientists have a fairly good understanding of the movements of plates and their interaction at plate boundaries, but there are still unanswered questions. While it is known that forces deep within the Earth's interior drive the motion of the plates, these forces are not yet well understood. And, while the plate tectonic theory helps to explain phenomenon such as volcanoes and earthquakes, it does not yet offer an explanation why the continents were originally joined or why they broke apart.
The Environmental Literacy Council - Plate Tectonics
You better inform the Navy and the USGS and anyone studying earthquakes or volcanoes that plate tectonics is just a theory again support by millions of facts, including Global Positioning satellites that now measure the movements. LOL
The amount of tectonic plate movement is measured using
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and a network of
GPS receivers. This technology allows scientists to measure plate movements as small as a few millimeters per year.
Twenty-four
GPS satellites orbit the Earth every 24 hours at 20,000 km above the earth. Using accurately measured distances from at least three GPS satellites, the precise location of a
GPS receiver on Earth can be calculated using a method called
triangulation.
Science On the Leading Edge | Measuring Plate Movements
