Powerful Earth

            The theory of plate tectonics says that earth’s crust is made up of several plates that move in relation to each other.  Magma, or liquid rock under the crust, moves according to the rules of thermodynamics.  Hotter matter is less dense and lighter than cooler matter; cooler sinks as hotter rises; magma moves in vertical circular patterns.  The plates of the crust float on this moving magma, pushed and moved by the currents of convection.

            Along the boundaries between these plates immense pressure and force is at play.  More dense oceanic plates dive under lighter continental plates where they move together, displacing magma and forcing it up through the spaces between plates, which we see as volcanoes.  Where plates are moving apart, magma flows up and fills the space between divergent plates.  All of these tons of rock moving with such incredible force creates pressure, which can bend or break the rock, shaking the earth under mighty strain.  Vibrations move through the rock, which we feel as earthquakes.

            The very land we live on moves in ever-changing patterns.  The continents that rise above sea level seem to fit together like puzzle pieces, suggesting a newborn earth with one giant continent.  As some plates diverge, or move away from one another, plates on the opposite side of the globe must move toward one another.  They must buckle or fold or move over and across each other to accommodate the movement. 

            In some places, pockets of magma flow up through the crust in a place stationary relative to the center of the earth.  As the plates move over the magma, hotspot island chains can form.  This is how we get places like Hawaii.

            Earth has powerful muscles.  She moves with vast resources of thermodynamic power.  As residents, we disregard her at our own peril.  She is just as capable of destroying life as she is of sustaining life.  This destruction is not malicious or personal.  It is a law of nature.  Natural disasters are only destructive if humans happen to live where the forces of earth are shown.  As we learn to understand and respect her, we may learn to tap into her energy for constructive human use.  Patterns of earth’s behavior show us what to expect.  The task remains for us to learn to read the signs and work with instead of against her.