SCI 209 Week 2 Individual Assignment The Creation of the Ocean Floor Paper

Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word paper describing the basic theories associated with the creation of the ocean floor.

Include the following in your paper:

A minimum of two references are required.

Reference two additional outside sources, other than your text, such as credible websites and articles that support your findings.

Identify three different plate boundaries and list the outstanding features of each boundary.

List one natural event that occurs as a direct result of plate boundary interactions.

Compare and contrast ideas behind plate tectonics and the theory of continental drift. Does one idea seem more plausible than the other? If so, why? Base your findings on the natural event you identified earlier in the paper.

The Earth’s magnetic field creates invisible lines of force. Throughout time, the polarity of the Earth has changed. We know this by the orientation of magnetic crystals in rocks. They are a record of what happened because as they were formed from volcanoes, the crystals oriented themselves according to the magnetic field on the Earth at the time. Not only does magnetism tell us about the Earth’s history, it is also used by animals presently as a way to navigate the oceans.

 Briefly describe the current theories regarding marine animals using the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation and list at least one animal that theoretically uses this method. Do you feel the theories regarding marine animals’ use of the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation are accurate? Why do you feel this way? How could this ability benefit humans?

Define lithogeneous, biogenous, hydrogenous, and cosmogenous sediments. Why do you think it is important to be able to differentiate between these?