Explain how the chemical composition of magmas relates to plate tectonics and affects the geometry, structure, and explosivity of volcanoes.
Earth Science
Students explain how scientists study and model the interior of the Earth and its dynamic nature. They use the theory of plate tectonics, the unifying theory of geology, to explain a wide variety of Earth features and processes and how hazards resulting from these processes impact society.
Plate motions result in potentially catastrophic events (earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, mass wasting) that affect humanity. The intensity of volcanic eruptions is controlled by the chemistry and properties of the magma. Earthquakes are the result of abrupt movements of the Earth. They generate energy in the form of body and surface waves.