Description
2 Assignment
NOTE: to earn the full 20 points for this assignment, please observe a 250 word minimum for the written portion and provide some good detail. Also, create and upload a hand drawn picture of a transect (cross-sectional view) of a section of a mid-oceanic ridge.
VISUALIZING THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
The rock that composes the oceanic crust is much younger than the rock that composes the continents. This has to do with the fact that volcanoes along Mid-Oceanic Ridges (MOR) erupt molten rock that cools to form basalt, and creates a thin oceanic crustal rock. Ocean basins, including the Atlantic ocean basin, are formed in this way. Please browse through the chapter on the Ocean Floor (Chap 13) and pay particular attention to Section 13.4 – Anatomy of the Oceanic Ridge, and Figure 13.6 and to answer and complete this assignment.
- Discuss what is happening at the MOR in terms of plate tectonics. For example, if North America and Africa were once joined as part of Pangaea, what does the MOR have to do with the fact that they are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean? (200 word minimum).
- Draw a cross-section of a section of the Mid-Atlantic ridge with as much detail as possible. Title your drawing with approximately where this cross-section is located. Include both a vertical and horizontal axis. Please do a hand drawing and then upload a scanned image or a screenshot.
To enter your work, type or copy in your written response directly into Blackboard and attach your screenshot.