The document explores the creation of the ocean floor, detailing the formation of Earth and its oceans through processes like plate tectonics and volcanic activity. It discusses three main types of tectonic plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform, and their associated geological features, including the formation of tsunamis. Additionally, it compares the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift, particularly Alfred Wegener's hypothesis of a supercontinent, Pangaea.

1. The Creation of the Ocean Floor
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Running head: THE CREATION OF THE OCEAN FLOOR
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THE CREATION OF THE OCEAN FLOOR
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The Creation of the Ocean Floor
One scientific speculation about the beginning of ocean water
declares that as Earth developed from a gas and dust cloud more
than 4.5 billion years ago, an enormous quantity of insubstantial
elements such as oxygen and hydrogen became confined inside
the liquefied inner part of the newly formed planet (Advameg,
2013). In the course of the first few billion years following
planets formation, these basic gases emerged across thousands
of miles of red-hot and liquefying rock to discharge on the
Earth’s surface through fissures (long narrow cracks) and
volcanoes.
Inside the earth and atop the exterior, the gas hydrogen joined
oxygen developing water. Massive amounts of liquid blanketed
the planet as an extraordinarily heavy atmosphere of water
cloud. Close to the uppermost part of the atmosphere, where
high temperature may possibly dissipate to outward reaches of
the earth, water vapor concentrated to a liquid form and dropped

2. into the stratum below, chilling the level. This atmospheric cool
down procedure lasted till the initial precipitation dropped to
the planet’s young exterior and flared into a misty haze. This
came to pass as the creation of an astonishing downpour that
through the course of time, progressively filled the ocean
cavities.
There are three major classes of tectonic plate boundaries:
divergent boundaries, covergent boundaries, and transform
boundaries. The divergent boundaries outstanding features are
fresh crust is produced as two or more plates tear away from
one other. Oceans are generated and grow broader where plates
deviate or pull apart. Seafloor expanding is a process in which
the molten rock produces new ground underneath water. This
progression takes millions of years to establish a 10 foot hill
because growth fluctuates from two to 10 centimeters yearly.
The convergent boundaries outstanding features are here crust is
demolished and reprocessed back into the inside of the Earth as
one plate descents under another. These are recognized as
Subduction Zones - volcanoes and mountains are often
discovered where plates come together. The kinds of volcanoes
that can occur depend on the chemical composition of the
molten rock that decides its fluidity. There are three kinds of
convergent boundaries: Oceanic-Continental Convergence,
Oceanic-Oceanic Convergence, and Continental-Continental
Convergence (Platetectonics, 2010). The transform boundaries
outstanding features are when two plates are skimming parallel
by each other. These are additionally identified as transform
boundaries or in addition normally called faults. The San
Andreas Fault is the best known and considered the most lethal
translational line.
One natural event that occurs as a direct result of plate
boundary interactions is a tsunami. Plate tectonics are the
secondary trigger of tsunamis. When a major seismic vibration
occurs beneath a mass of water, the force from that tremble is
released into the encompassing fluid. The energy expands out
from its original location, moving through the water in the

3. configuration of a swell growing larger into a wave. A tsunami
wave presents insignificant threat out in the deep ocean. When
the upsurge reaches coastline this is different story. The low
pressure area of the gigantic wave hits land first, seen as the
drawing of water away from the shoreline. Then the wave top
strikes, with catastrophic consequences (Brown, 2013).
When comparing and contrasting the ideas behind plate
tectonics and the theory of continental drift, one idea seems
more plausible than the other. According to the theory of
continental drift, the planet was made up of a lone continent
through most of geologic period. That landmass finally
separated and floated apart, shaping the seven continents seen
today. The first widespread theory of continental drift was
advocated by the German meteorologist Alfred Wegener in
1912. Wegener stated that the earth a long time ago had a
supercontinent known as Pangea (Schafer, 2013). His theory
was centered on four distinctive ideas. The first was the fit of
the landmasses, fossil remains, rock variety, and paleoclimatic
account (Johnson, 2013). The hypothesis emphasizes that the
continents contain lighter rocks that lay on denser crustal
matter, similar to how icebergs float on water. Wegener argued
that the comparative positions of the landforms are not firmly
fixed but are gradually shifting at a frequency of about one yard
per century.
According to the largely acknowledged plate-tectonics theory,
researchers think that Earth's surface is fragmented into a
number of ever-changing wedges or plates, which average
approximately 50 miles in thickness. These plates shift relative
to one another atop a sweltering, cavernous, more moveable
area at typical ratios as a few inches per year. A majority of the
world's working volcanoes are beside or close to the boundaries
amid ever-changing plates and are called plate-boundary
volcanoes.
In conclusion other than the text a minimum of two outside
sources were used as a reference credible websites and articles
that support the findings. Identified three different plate

4. boundaries and listed the outstanding features of each boundary.
One natural event was listed that occurred as a direct result of
plate boundary interaction. Compared and contrasted ideas
behind plate tectonics and the theory of continental drift.
References
Advameg. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.scienceclarified.com/Mu-Oi/Ocean.html
Brown, L. (2013). Natural Disasters Caused by Plate Tectonics.
Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how-
does_5516200_natural-disasters-caused-plate-tectonics.html
Clark, C. (2013). What Are the Theories of Continental Drift &
Plate Tectonics. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/info_8395474_theories-continental-drift-
plate-tectonics.html
Johnson, C. (2013). Continental Drift, Plate Tectonics and Sea-
Floor Spreading: A Critical Commentary. Retrieved from
http://earthmatrix.com/symmetry/continental_drift_critique.htm
Pearson. (2013). Continental Drift and Plate-Tectonics Theory.
Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001765.html
Platetectonics. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.platetectonics.com/book/page_5.asp
Schafer, D. (2013). Continental Drift Theory Science Project
Ideas. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/info_8075408_continental-theory-
science-project-ideas.html
Steeley, E. (2013). What Are the Three Types of Tectonic Plate
Boundaries?. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/info_8402363_three-types-tectonic-plate-
boundaries.html

5. Watson, J. (2012). Understanding plate motions. Retrieved from
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html