Where Volcanoes Occur - Essay Example

Plate tectonics explains the movement of plates around the earth but are different from continental drift. They elucidate why ocean basins are in existence. The earth’s crust, according to the theory of tectonics, occurs in two forms: continental crust and oceanic crust. The latter is rigid, dense, and brittle as opposed to continental crust. It breaks into separate slabs also known as plates (McKay, “Plate Tectonic Settings” 1). On the other hand, many rocks that have conjoined over billions of years of geologic time make the continental crust.

They are less dense and can deform or change much easier explaining their complication and uncertainties. Summing it all up, hot gases and material emanate from the mid-oceanic ridges while cool material goes down at subduction areas, and it is at the plate boundaries that volcanoes take place (McKay, “Subduction Zones” 1).Week 2:Reasons for EruptionVolcanoes erupt as fresh magma from the center of the earth rises up through weak areas or zones and consequently reaching the crest of ridges to develop a novel oceanic crust.

This process referred to as seafloor spreading, took place many years ago, and it led to a long mid-oceanic system of ridges (McKay, “The Basics of Plate Tectonics” 1). Review of siteThe website, blackboard learn, is a modernized platform that offers easy access, navigation, organization, and illustration of learning material. The site’s contents are well organized, and students can easily follow the direction of the course without supervision, assistance, or any trouble. What makes the educational portal even better is the systematic organization of classes into weeks, which offers an easier way of following through lectures and assignments.

Further, the site enhances further learning by offering multimedia material such as pictures and videos, which are highly beneficial. Moreover, the getting started, syllabus, announcements, and discussion board tabs are beneficial in enhancing the learning experience. The site has explained grey areas of geology, and I have learned key things about volcanoes: what they are, how they occurred, why they occurred, and the forces behind the volcanoes. Initially, I used to think that volcanoes simply erupted anywhere provided molten lava was boiling underneath the surface waiting to come out.

However, the site has disillusioned me, and I now know that there is a special mechanism that volcanoes followed and that they exist in certain red regions across the globe.