Great question! Without plate tectonics, Earth would look very different. Here are a few examples:
-Without tectonics, Earth would have a lot of craters – much like Earth’s moon and portions of Mars. Because our moon and Mars don’t have active plate tectonics, craters cannot be subducted into these planets’ interiors and replaced with new material.
-Without tectonics, Earth’s surface would be much, much older. The vast majority of Earth’s ancient surface has been subducted into its interior and replaced with new material.
-Without tectonics, complex life would probably have had a very difficult time evolving on Earth – especially humans like you and me. Complex life has a lot of needs that required the recycling of material between Earth’s surface and interior. For example, the high oxygen contents in Earth’s atmosphere that you and I covet may have been a consequence of plate tectonics.
These are just a few examples. There are many, many more…
Great question! Without plate tectonics, Earth would look very different. Here are a few examples:
-Without tectonics, Earth would have a lot of craters – much like Earth’s moon and portions of Mars. Because our moon and Mars don’t have active plate tectonics, craters cannot be subducted into these planets’ interiors and replaced with new material.
-Without tectonics, Earth’s surface would be much, much older. The vast majority of Earth’s ancient surface has been subducted into its interior and replaced with new material.
-Without tectonics, complex life would probably have had a very difficult time evolving on Earth – especially humans like you and me. Complex life has a lot of needs that required the recycling of material between Earth’s surface and interior. For example, the high oxygen contents in Earth’s atmosphere that you and I covet may have been a consequence of plate tectonics.
These are just a few examples. There are many, many more…