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Welcome to plate tectonics
Welcome to plate tectonics
The basis of all geographic knowledge stems from understanding the world beneath our feet. Firstly, We live on planet Earth. This is one of eight planets in the Milkyway solar system. The planets in this solar system include: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Saturn, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter. Previously, it used to be nine planets but, Pluto has been reclassified as a dwarf planet.
According to Chapman (2020), a dwarf planet is described as any body (Other than a moon) that orbits the Sun and that is, for practical purposes, smaller than the planet Mercury yet large enough for its own gravity to have rounded its shape substantially.
Diagram of the Milkyway Solar System. (Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun).
Diagram of the Milkyway Solar System. (Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun).
Planet earth
Planet earth
Now that we understand where we are in the universe, lets get down to understanding plate tectonics.
The picture displayed here shows a cross section of the earth as though it was split in half to show its composition.
The earth's composition can be broken down into three main layers. These layers include:
Crust: This is where we reside. The crust is the outermost layer made up of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, and the entirety of the crust only makes up around 1% of the Earth's volume. The earth's crust consists of two plates, continental and oceanic plates. Please be mindful that the crust is floating on the mantle.
Mantle: The second and thickest layer, the mantle is a semi-solid layer consisting of iron, magnesium, and silicon. The mantle constantly moves slowly and is responsible for earthquakes, volcanoes, and other seismic activity. (To be discussed in Plate Boundaries)
Core: Finally, the inner most layer, the core is divided into two separate layers. The outer core is a liquid layer of iron and nickel that flows around the center of the Earth. The outer core is responsible for creating the Earth's magnetic field. Meanwhile, the inner core is a solid ball of iron and nickel that is the hottest layer of the Earth. The inner core is kept solid by the extreme pressure it's under from outer layers.
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