Morgan BellMapping layers of the Earth
April 21st 2006 08:31
“Taiwan moves toward China - literally”, the International Herald Tribune reported on Wednesday. Indeed, the Taiwan Strait separating the island from the mainland is being narrowed ever so slightly by seismic movement of the Eurasian and Philippine slabs.
The theory of continental drift was first suggested by Alfred Wegener in 1912, who hypothesised that the continents began as a single protocontinent and have since drifted apart to their current configuration. It wasn’t until 1960 that the theory was properly accepted, upon Arthur Holmes’ suggestion that the Earth had a molten layer of magma under its crust. Thermal convection of molten magma caused the movement of tectonic plates, leading to the formation of mountain ranges, earthquakes, ocean ridges and island arcs.
As Taiwan continues on its path towards the mainland, the two landmasses will eventually collide. Plate movement will result in earthquakes that will be monitored by a 5 million dollar collaborative study run by researchers from the United States, Taiwan and Japan. Dubbed “Taiger”, the study will employ seismometers buried in the ground and sea to record and detect seismic vibrations. Measurements will provide a detailed map of Taiwan’s mountain belt, from the 3,900 metre peak to the Earth’s upper mantle, 90 kilometres underground.
The theory of continental drift was first suggested by Alfred Wegener in 1912, who hypothesised that the continents began as a single protocontinent and have since drifted apart to their current configuration. It wasn’t until 1960 that the theory was properly accepted, upon Arthur Holmes’ suggestion that the Earth had a molten layer of magma under its crust. Thermal convection of molten magma caused the movement of tectonic plates, leading to the formation of mountain ranges, earthquakes, ocean ridges and island arcs.
The Earth's tectonic plates
As Taiwan continues on its path towards the mainland, the two landmasses will eventually collide. Plate movement will result in earthquakes that will be monitored by a 5 million dollar collaborative study run by researchers from the United States, Taiwan and Japan. Dubbed “Taiger”, the study will employ seismometers buried in the ground and sea to record and detect seismic vibrations. Measurements will provide a detailed map of Taiwan’s mountain belt, from the 3,900 metre peak to the Earth’s upper mantle, 90 kilometres underground.
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