Skip to main content
Earth Science

Questions tagged [continental-rifting]

Ask Question

The tag has no summary.

14 questions
Newest Active Bountied Unanswered
3 votes
0 answers
100 views

Canada's larger lakes (minus the "Great Lakes" that it shares with the USA) sit on the edge of the Canadian Shield (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TmSP02zPaI). On the other side of the ...
The Great One's user avatar
  • 103
1 vote
0 answers
61 views

Something that's been bugging me for some time now. If, for example, Antarctica started subducting in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean (I'm aware it's not and isn't predicted to), and began ...
N Francis's user avatar
  • 241
7 votes
1 answer
430 views

In animations that show the location / drift of the continents over the aeons, it seems that the continents (or cratons?) are just floating / drifting around, sometimes fusing or splitting, but having ...
emacs drives me nuts's user avatar
  • 241
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

In section 1.7 of Geodynamics by D. Turcotte & G. Schubet it is stated that "(...) continental crust cannot be destroyed by subduction" which I cannot completely understand. So far I understand ...
caverac's user avatar
  • 221
-2 votes
3 answers
829 views

Consider this scenario: If the surface density of Earth were constant, it would follow that it would be impossible to have all land mass that is above the floor of the ocean concentrated on one side ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
806 views

I am a high school student, my question is about the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. When this happens what happens to the area of the Asian continent. Does it increase or ...
Crazy_39365's user avatar
  • 33
1 vote
1 answer
614 views

Why Divergent boundary create ridges between oceanic plates and rift valley between continental plates? I think that the ridges are formed because of the volcanic eruptions. But like rift valley in ...
Porcupine's user avatar
  • 637
22 votes
2 answers
11k views

I am procedurally generating planets for an open world space sandbox game. I am using a rough simulation of tectonic plates to create mountain ranges and other geological features. A planet surface ...
Jacques Nel's user avatar
  • 353
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

I am trying to understand how a dense basaltic lava is able to rise and punch through the continental crust, such as in mantle plumes or the Great East African Rift. My understanding of plate ...
G. Gip's user avatar
  • 772
4 votes
0 answers
285 views

I have conducted a brief survey of Internet sources and cannot locate any definite discussion of a possible connection between the Chicxulub impact and the inception or acceleration of the Rio Grande ...
Dalton Bentley's user avatar
  • 196
12 votes
2 answers
870 views

When thinking about the formation of the current continents from a super-continent, it's clear that this is a gradual process, but there must be certain areas on earth which were once joined and were ...
Nathaniel Bubis's user avatar
  • 837
8 votes
1 answer
425 views

In 2006 it was reported that the Largest Ever Killer Crater was found under ice in Antarctica. Gravity measurements taken by NASA's GRACE satellites indicate the crater is 250 million years old. The ...
Fred's user avatar
  • 26.1k
13 votes
1 answer
881 views

The West Antarctic Rift exists between the Trans-Antarctic Mountains and Marie Byrd Land (see map below for reference) Image source: NASA The rift system is believed to be like the East African Rift, ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
618 views

The Cameroon Line is described by the Oregon State University's Volcano World webpage What is known about the volcanoes of Cameroon? as a a chain of volcanoes extending from Annobon Island in the ...
user avatar