2.2 Is Plate Tectonics Caused by a Change in Earth\'s Size? ACTIVITY Name: Cours

Question

2.2 Is Plate Tectonics Caused by a Change in Earth's Size? ACTIVITY Name: Course/Section: Date: A. Recall that geoscientists have historically tried to What kind of faulting would you most expect to find in the lithosphere if understand the cause of oceans, mountains, and global tectonics by questioning if Earth could be shrinking or expanding in size. This question can be evaluated by studying Earth's natural forces and faults in relation to those that you might predict to occur if the size of Earth were changing. Analyze FIGURE 2.4 to see how three kinds of faults are caused by three kinds of stress (applied force). To the right of this diagram, predict what kind of faulting you would mostly expect to find in Earth's lithosphere if Earth were expanding or contracting (shrinking) 1. Earth is expanding? Original 2. Earth is contracting?

Explanation / Answer

If Earth is expanding, then force is tension and the fault type is normal fault. The reason is tension force causes the object to expand in volume. If Earth is contracting, the force is compression and the fault type is reverse fault. The compression force causes the object to compress and reduce in volume.

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