Ring of Fire: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, & Plate Tectonics

3 units

Presentation of plate tectonics and physical processes shaping the Earth, using the band of recurring earthquakes and volcanoes (Ring of Fire) that borders the Pacific Ocean as a primary example. Use of plate tectonics to explain origins of continents, oceans, mountains, and effects on evolution of life. Impact of earthquakes and volcanoes on human society. Concept of deep time-evolution of Earth from Big Bang origin of the universe to the present.