Tectonic Analysis of Planet X143B-M Alison Pyner
             It is 2199 and planet X143B-M is being considered by humans as a planet to colonize. The planet is very similar to Earth with a similar magnetic field, oceans covering 55% and a nitrogen and oxygen rich atmosphere. Geologists conducted several other tests and discovered that these are not the only things that earth has on common with this planet. There are also similarities in plate tectonics.
             1c) At locations A and B the continental margin is a diverging plate boundary. In between these two points there is a rift valley formed from the two plates diverging. At the actual points the ocean turns into continent but there is not a plate boundary because there is no subduction and no trench formed. At location D there is a continental-oceanic plate boundary where subduction occurs and the oceanic plate is being subducted under the continental plate to form a trench.
             2a) We know that this planet is tectonically active because the information collected can be compared to earth and the evidence of plate tectonics is similar in both cases. On this planet there is an ocean ridge as seen on the line a-b profile. It is very similar to the mid Atlantic ridge in the Atlantic Ocean. The sea floor must be spreading and new ocean floor is coming from the ridge and moving outwards.
             Other evidence is that the profile of line c-d shows that there must be two plates that are converging and one plate is subducted under the other to form a trench. The trench is formed from when one plate goes under the other.
             Volcanic activity and earthquakes are directly linked to plate tectonics so a pattern emerges. Earthquakes occur along boundaries where the plates are moving together and building up energy that is eventually released as an earthquake. Volcanoes are formed near the boundary when the plate is subducted under the other and the heated m
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