Himalayas, The Crossroads of Culture!

I am just SO excited to be heading off the the Himalayan Mountains! It's a quick visit, but I will get to see Nepal, India, and Bhutan! How exciting! Of course I'm going to hit up those Indian markets for some fierce clothes and fabric, but I am also super excited to explore Buddhist traditions and temples! Also, I am meeting with some monks who have agreed to teach me how to make prayer beads (SCORE!) and take me to the first campsite of the most famous mountain ever, Mount Everest! Not only is it a beautiful sight, but it is one of the only examples on this earth of convergent collision boundaries!

Continental Collision is when two continents (plate tectonics) meet "head to head." The rocks are surprisingly light, and don't want to move downward into the earth. What happens instead, is that the crust buckles and ends up being pushed upward and or sideways. Here in the Himalayas, India and Asia collided 50 million years ago! The Eurasian Plate crumpled up and overrided the Indian Plate. Over millions of years, the  continuous convergence of the two plates has created the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Most of this growth has happened in just the last 10 million years! It may seem like this, "collision" may happen quickly, like a car crash, but actually, it takes lots of time!

http://www.platetectonics.com/book/page_5.asp

The Himalayas show no sign in slowing down their collision; why stop after 50 million years of success? They move on average 5 centimeters per year.

Some may say the collision is only a variation of subduction, but there are some differences. Firstly, in subduction, one plate slides beneath the other, which creates many faults. (As does collision) But in collision, the subduction zone is destroyed, and the two continents "become one" through the magic of mountains. You can think of continental collision as faulting and folding, which makes sense, because that is how the mountains are made.

Encyclopedia Britannica states, "If the rate of subduction in an ocean basin exceeds the rate at which the crust is formed at oceanic ridges, closure of the basin is inevitable, leading ultimately to terminal collision between the approaching continents."

http://www.geographicguide.net/earth/pictures/himalayas-asia.jpg

But why aren't the Himalayas formed from subduction? It seems to be the obvious choice... Both continental landmasses were made up of materials of roughly the same density, so neither could be subducted under the other.  The only way for any of the rock to go was "up" into the Himalayas.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/himalaya.html

Right now, the movement of India continues to put enormous pressure on the Asia. The effect of plate-tectonics' forces acting on this geologically complicated region is to squeeze parts of Asia eastward toward the Pacific Ocean. One serious consequence of these processes are tremendous stresses build up within the Earth. (Which are relieved by earthquakes along the numerous faults that are in the
landscape.) Some of the world's most destructive earthquakes in history are related to continuing tectonic processes that began some 50 million years ago when the Indian and Eurasian continents first met.

I'm now off to the market! I really want some bangles! But wasn't this info interesting! I just love geology!

"The Himalayas" 28° 0′ 0″ N, 82° 0′ 0″ E

I need some mittens... who are the experts in woolly hand warmers?

Hey guys! I had an awesome time visiting my family, and seeing the San Andreas Fault, but it was waaayy to warm in Cali. I really wanna go somewhere cold, but not to Antarctician-ish. My mom suggested Iceland, but there was a volcano there.... O.M.G. A VOCANO! That country is perfect for me! And I hear there is a divergent boundary in Iceland. Exciting! And I can go get some uber cute mittens! (UGG was out when I went to New Zealand...)

A divergent boundary is when two tectonic plates move apart, resulting in volcanic material being
brought to the surface. This usually occurs in the ocean creating new sea-floor.

But when there is an occasional continental case....

When a divergent boundary occurs beneath a thick continental plate, the pull-apart is not strong and large enough to make a clean break through the thick material. As the two plates pull apart, normal faults develop on both sides of the rift and the central blocks slide downwards. Earthquakes occur as a result of this fracturing and movement. Early in the rift valley-forming process, streams and rivers will flow into the sinking rift valley to form a long linear lake. As the rift grows deeper it might drop below sea level allowing ocean waters to flow in. This will produce a narrow, shallow  sea within the rift. This rift can then grow deeper and wider. If rifting continues a new ocean basin could be produced.

Iceland is located on a divergent boundary. It is one of only a few places on our Earth where we can see a divergent boundary above sea level! Why is this?  The definition of a divergent boundary tells us that volcanic material is brought to the surface on a regular basis. It happens so often that the divergent boundary has formed its own volcanic island! This hot spot of volcanic activity has formed many volcanoes and caused many earthquakes!

http://www.platetectonics.com/book/page_5.asp

The North American and Eurasian plates are currently moving apart at a rate of 2 centimeters per year. This means that Canada is getting further and further away from Europe every year! (I hope that doesn't affect the cost of plane tickets! I use that extra money for clothing!)

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge  is a divergent boundary between the North American and Eurasian Plates. As North America moves west, and Eurasia east, new crust is created on both sides of the divergent boundary. While the creation of new crust adds mass to Iceland on both sides of the boundary, it also creates a rift along the boundary. Iceland will break into two separate land masses at some point in the future, and the Atlantic waters will eventually rush in to fill the widening and deepening space created between.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Bridge_across_continents_iceland.jpg

Heading back home for a bit...

So nice to be back in the states! I'm originally from California, and I'm going back home to visit my parents! (And to take a day trip to Rodeo Drive. yipeee!!) But besides fashion, I really want to visit the San Andreas Fault, which runs 810 miles along California! WOW!

The San Andreas fault zone, which is about 1,300 km long and at some points is 10 kilometers wide, slices through two thirds of the length of California. Along the Fault Line, the Pacific Plate has been grinding horizontally past the North American Plate for 10 million years, at an average rate of about 5 cm/yr. Land on the west side of the fault zone (on the Pacific Plate) is moving in a northwesterly
direction relative to the land on the east side of the fault zone (on the North American Plate).
- The San Andreas Fault is a transform fault (a transform fault, or boundary, is a fault where the movement is mostly horizontal, and are formed when two plates slide past each other)
-It is the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate
-All land west of the fault on the Pacific Plate is moving slowly to the northwest while all land east of the fault is moving southwest
-The westwards motion of the North American Plate creates compressional force, and that uplifts the Coast Ranges
-It is predicted that over 200 millions years the land west of the San Andreas Fault will slide past San Francisco! (This includes Los Angeles)
-4 major earthquakes have struck since 1857-2004, and the next is predicted as far away as 300 years, or one could strike tomorrow!

http://www.sanandreasfault.org/4020_A.jpg



http://geology.com/articles/images/san-andreas-fault-map.jpg

http://mlhi.org/science/period5/RustyandBryan_files/image003.gif

Coordinates for Krakatoa... Enjoy! (Also on Google Tour)

6° 6′ 7.2″ S, 105° 25′ 22.8″ E

O.M.G.

You guys.... guess what!

My trip to Krakatoa proved to be very rewarding. Check out what I found in the base of the volcano!



EEEEPPP!

Visiting My Name Sake!

Eeeep! New Zealand was a blast, and super sad 'cause of the earthquake, but also super interesting because New Zealand between the Pacific plate and the Australian plate! Now I am off to my island of name sake, Krakatoa! There was a book written a while ago that said DIAMONDS WERE IN THE BASE OF THE VOLCANO! Maybe I'll get lucky and end up with a tennis braclet, a matching set of earings and pendant, plus tiara. Boy would that make my day...

But some backgroud on the island-

-The biggest explosion of Krakatoa was a loooong time ago, but was the loudest sound ever heard on earth, (heard from 3,000 miles away!) and killed 40,000 people.

Image of Subduction

http://www.yarden.maale-efrayim.k12.il/Geo/pic/volcano7.jpg

- Krakatoa is part of the Indonesian volcanic arc, created from the subduction of the Indo-Australian plate. ("Subduction is the process thaat takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic platee moves under another tectonic plate, sinking into the earth's mantle, as the plates converge. A subduction zone is an area on earth where two tectonic plates move towards one another and one slides under the other. Rates of subduction are typically measured in centimeters per year"- Dictionary.com)
- A subduction zone involves an oceanic place sliding beneath a continental plate.
- These zones have higher rates of volcanoes, mountains, and earthquakes. (Hello, Krakatoa is like, earthquake and eruption central!)
-Krakatoa is directly above the subduction zone of the Eurasian Plate and the Australian Plate where the plate boundaries make a sharp change of direction. This results in an unusually weak crust (of the earth) in the region.

So... I hope you know a little more about Krakatoa and subduction!

see y'all later when I hit up another country!

New Zealand Image!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCmcGOHwCFhk1tkSzhC-_RP60_5kWsP-CPjg0vqNdP8gHcqbaPArK8KIYoJDdUArG9Ls-P_hDre08tB6xf5q1ZTrwouZbVArkULstQWW4c-Q-Hr42JtzqkMM4wAoYAki-lvcJpPDOy3qM/s1600/earthquake.png

http://www.geol.canterbury.ac.nz/earthquake/Images/New%20Zealand.jpg