Sunday, June 28, 2020

Week 5: Converging Plates

Converging Plates 

The Cascade Mountains are a great example of convergent-plate margin. Oceanic convergent-plate margin to be specific. Aligning with the below figure, the volcanoes of northeastern California, along with the rest of the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, are the result of subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate due to the spreading of the seafloor. What I find so interesting is that of Alfred Wegener, he believed that the Earth's gravitational pull was the reason for plate movement, when really due to weathering, erosion, and the spreading apart of the seafloor and expansion of the Earth's crust are really what leads to plate movement - which additionally can lead to volcanic eruption.

The stress which aided in the creation of the Cascade mountains was due to compression stress. Due to this igneous rocks are most commonly found in the Cascade mountains.


The Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest are a continental arc

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