Plate Tectonics Essay Example

Understanding the universe and Earth is similar to solving a puzzle. The last piece of the puzzle must fit perfectly to all the other components that have been connected, all four sides need to match and if not, then there could have been a mistake that was made ages when the puzzle was being solved. Different theories and concepts that have been created highlight this concept, they illuminate new observations and possible explanations of the world around us. However, as new observations are made, the concept must be cohesive with other phenomenons ongoing in the Earth and universe’s system or refute them with a new explanation that creates a new understanding of the world. Throughout the semester, plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and ocean salinity have provided a deeper understanding of the Earth and furthered my understanding of the Scientific Method. 

Plate tectonics is the concept that explains the recycling of the crust by stating how Earth’s lithosphere is broken fragments of the crust and upper mantle. The idea of plate tectonics supported the theory of the Continental drift, the idea of all the continents existing together at one point, and seafloor spreading, the formation of new oceanic crust in the middle of the ocean that pushes the plates further apart. The idea of plate tectonics furthered the understanding of the lithosphere and its impact on Earth’s surface by illuminating how the movements of the plates created mountains, volcanoes, and cause earthquakes. However, plate tectonics connects to even more phenomenons, such as the rock cycle. The rock cycle is a process to explain rock formation as it cycles from igneous, metamorphic, to sedimentary in different ways. The rock cycle is continuous due to the rocks being able to move through different paths of the cycle. Magma, weathering, heat, and pressure all contribute to the cycle and transform the rocks to the next part of the cycle. The pressure from plates colliding at plate boundaries, create metamorphic rocks. The rock cycle contributes to more than the idea of rock transformations, it also explains the salinity within our oceans. Ocean salinity is derived from the minerals that are transported into the ocean. The weathering of rock near coastal areas transports the minerals and broken rock into the water nearby. Sodium and Chlorine are transported into the water from the minerals deposited into the ocean which creates the salinity of the ocean. Ocean salinity affects the density of the water a higher salinity creates denser water, affecting ocean currents and marine life. 

Plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and ocean salinity are all ideas that seem to be separate from one another as one deals with Earth’s layers, the other focuses on the landscape of earth, while the last regards the ocean. However, each concept intertwines with one another and explains aspects of the other theory or uses the other theories as a foundation to the new idea. Plate tectonics is required to understand the rock cycle as plate collisions create metamorphic rock. The rock cycle involves weathering and erosion, a process that causes salinity within our ocean as different rocks and minerals deposit into different waterways. Ocean salinity then affects the ocean currents and marine life. Understanding these concepts has furthered my understanding of the Scientific Method as I learn how the Scientific Method is about exploration and disproving former hypotheses to propel new knowledge and understanding of the world and universe.