Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project 2 - Essay Example The site was published in 1999 and was developed from a paper published in 1996. Consequently, some of the information in the site may be out of date and it does not represent state-of-the-art research. Nevertheless, the site provides a valuable resource, and the information that it contains is important for understanding geological phenomena throughout the world. The Glomar Challenger and JOIDES Resolution The Glomar Challenger is a research vessel developed in the 1960s, which studies of marine biology, and had the ability to collect core samples from the deep ocean floor. The ship was involved in a scientific expedition in 1968 that provided important evidence towards the seafloor spreading hypothesis. In the 1990’s a ship was designed for the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES), named the JOIDES Resolution. This vessel is also focused on research, and has the ability to drill deeper than the Glomar Challenger and to produce higher precision po sitioning. The ship carries more than 9,000 meters of pipe for drilling (Kious & Tilling, 1999b). Having research vessels such as these allows researchers to develop extensive knowledge about the way that the processes within the earth interact, and what can be expected from these interactions. Major concentrations of earthquakes Throughout the world, earthquakes tend to be centered along oceanic spreading ridges and trenches. The most prominent of these are the Wadati-Benioff zones. The continental earthquakes that occur are highly concentrated in The People’s Republic of China. Additionally, there is also a high concentration of earthquakes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is a particularly relevant area as it is considered to be the world’s most seismically active zone (Kious & Tilling, 1999d). The majority of earthquakes in Europe are concentrated in the Caribbean region, and there are relatively few inland. Undersea hot springs In 1977, scientists discovered hot springs that occurred on the Galapagos Rift at a depth of 2.5 kilometers. This discovery was significant as it was the first such hot spring that had been found on the deep ocean floor, although their existence had been predicted since the 1970s. The remarkable fact about these (and other) undersea hot springs is that diversity and abundance of unusual sea life that lives surrounding these springs. For example, large clams and mussels as well as giant sea worms, were found around the 1977 system. Unusual bacteria have also been found in these systems that oxidize hydrogen sulfide. These provide the lowest level of the hot springs ecosystem, and they obtain their nutrients from the gases which exit the hot springs. Consequently, these areas represent a unique ecosystem, as the temperature of the spring can be up to 380Â °C (Kious & Tilling, 1999a). Plate boundaries The first type of plate boundary is a divergent boundary. This occurs wh