EARTHSC 2GG3 Chapter 2: CHAPTER 2
29 Dec 2019
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Document Summary
Plate tectonics underlies the risk of volcanoes and earthquakes. Immanuel kant: proposed that solar system formed from interstellar dust and gas (1755) Modern telescopes confirmed the presence of interstellar dust and gas clouds called nebulae. Nebulae: consist mainly of hydrogen and helium, <1% of dust. Early nebula likely consisted of a rarefield cloud of dust and gases. Cloud began to rotate and contract due to gravitational attraction between particles. Nebula began to further contract and flatten into an accretion disc . Gravitational pull accumulated mass at the center of nebula to form a proto-sun . Matter in proto sun became dense and hot. Since its formation, earth has been continually losing heat over time. Volcanic activity moves heat from the mantle to the surface and over time there will be less radioactive decay. Eventually as more heat loss occurs, volcanic activity will halt and earthquakes will no longer cause problems.
