The names of the largest plates of the Earth. Versions of the formation of the planet

How did the continents and islands? What determines the name of the largest plates of the Earth? Where did our planet come from?

How it all began?

Everyone at least once thought about the origin of our planet. For the deeply believing people, everything is simple: the earth was created by God in 7 days - and the point. They are unshakable in their confidence, even knowing the names of the largest lithospheric plates formed as a result of the evolution of the surface of the planet. For them, the birth of our stronghold is a miracle, and no arguments of geophysicists, natural scientists and astronomers are capable of convincing them.

Scientists, however, hold a different opinion, based on hypotheses and assumptions. Imeno they build guesses, put forward versions and come up with a whole title. The largest plates of the Earth, this also touched.

At the moment, it is not known exactly how our firmament appeared, but there are many interesting opinions. Scientists unanimously decided that once there was a single giant continent, split as a result of cataclysms and natural processes. Also scientists have thought up not only the name of the largest plates of the Earth, but also have designated small.

Theory on the verge of fiction

For example, Immanuel Kant and Pierre Laplace - scientists from Germany - believed that the universe emerged from a gas nebula, and the Earth is a gradually cooling planet whose earth's crust is nothing but a chilled surface.

Another scientist, Otto Yulievich Schmidt, believed that the Sun, while passing through the gas-dust cloud, seized some of it. His version is that our Earth was never completely molten substance and originally was a cold planet.

If you believe the theory of the English scientist Fred Hoyle, the Sun had its own twin star, which exploded like a supernova. Almost all the fragments were thrown back to huge distances, and a small number of those remaining around the Sun turned into planets. One of these fragments and became the cradle of humanity.

Version as an axiom

The most common history of the origin of the Earth is as follows:

• About 7 billion years ago, the primary cold planet was formed, after which its bowels began to gradually warm up.
• Then, at the time of the so-called "lunar era", a red-hot lava poured out in gigantic amounts to the surface. This led to the formation of a primary atmosphere and served as an impetus for the formation of the earth's crust - the lithosphere.
• Due to the primary atmosphere, the oceans appeared on the planet, as a result of which the Earth was covered with a dense shell, representing the outlines of oceanic depressions and continental ledges. In those distant times, the water surface was much higher than the land area. By the way, the earth's crust and the upper part of the mantle is called the lithosphere, which forms lithospheric plates that make up the overall "face" of the Earth. The names of the largest plates correspond to their geographical location.

The Giant Split

How did the continents and lithospheric plates form? About 250 million years ago the Earth looked completely different than it is now. Then on our planet was just one, just a giant continent called Pangea. Its total area impressed and equaled the area of all the existing continents, including the islands. Pangea from all sides was washed by the ocean, which was called Pantalassa. This huge ocean occupied the rest of the surface of the planet.

However, the existence of a supermatter was short-lived. Inside the Earth processes were rampant, as a result of which the substance of the mantle began to spread in different directions, gradually stretching the continent. Because of this, Pangea first split into two parts, forming two continents - Laurasia and Gondwana. Then these continents gradually split into many parts, which gradually dispersed in different directions. In addition to new continents, lithospheric plates appeared. From the name of the largest slabs, it becomes clear where the giant faults were formed.

The remnants of Gondwana are known to us Australia and Antarctica, as well as the South African and African lithospheric plates. It is proved that these plates and in our time gradually diverge - the speed of movement is 2 cm per year.

The fragments of Laurasia turned into two lithospheric plates - the North American and the Eurasian. At the same time, Eurasia consists not only of the fragment of Laurasia, but also parts of Gondwana. The names of the largest plates that form Eurasia are the Hindustan, Arabian and Eurasian.

In the formation of the Eurasian continent, Africa takes a direct part. Its lithospheric plate is slowly approaching the Eurasian plate, forming mountains and hills. It is because of this "union" that the Carpathians, the Pyrenees, the Ore Mountains, the Alps and the Sudeten have emerged.

List of lithospheric plates

The names of the largest plates are as follows:

• South American;
• Australian;
• The Eurasian;
• North American;
• Antarctic;
• Pacific;
• South American;
• Hindustan.

Medium-size slabs are:

• Arabian;
• Nazca;
• Scotia;
• Filipino;
• Coconut;
• Juan de Fuca.