Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Turkey!

Hey everyone! I told you I would find more info on Turkey so here it is!
During the Mesozoic era a large ocean, Tethys Ocean, floored by oceanic lithosphere existed in- between the supercontinents of Gondwana and Laurasia. This large oceanic plate was consumed at subduction zones. At the subduction trnches the sedimentary rock layers that were deposited within the prehistoric Tethys Ocean buckled, were folded, faulted and tectonically mixed with huge blocks of crystalline basement rocks of the oceanic lithosphere. The Eurasian margin is thought to have been geologically similar to the Western pacific region today. Volcanic arcs and back-arc basins formed and were emplaced onto Eurasia as ophiolites as they collidd with microcontinents. These microcontinents had been pulled away from the Gondwana continent further south. Therefore Turkey is made up of several different prehistorical microcontinents. During the Cenozoic folding, faulting, and uplifting, along with volcanic activity and intrusion of igneous rocks was related to major continental collision between the larger Arabian and Eurasian Plates.
Present-day earthquakes range from barely perceptible tremors to major movements measuring five or higher on the open-ended Richter scale. Turkey's most severe earthquake in the twentieth century happened in Erzincan on December 27, 1939. It damaged most of the city and caused about 160,000 deaths. Earthquakes of moderate intensity often continue with sporadic aftershocks over periods of several days or even weeks. The most earthquake-prone part of Turkey is an arc-shaped region stretching fom the general vicinity of Kocaeli to the area north of Lake Van on the border with Armenia and Georgia.
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Turkey!

Hey everyone! I just left China and I am on my way to Turkey, Anatolia! I do miss China but Turkey looks really cool! Here's some basic info here and I promise to have more for you very soon!

Turkey's varied landscapes are the product of a wide variety of tectonic processes that have shaped Anatolia over millions of years and continue today as evidenced by frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions.
Turkey's terrain is structurally complex. Nearly 85% of the land is at an elevation of at least 450 meters and the median altitude of the country is 1,128 meters. More than 80% of the land surface is rough, broken, mountainous and therefore is of little agricultural value. The terrain's ruggedness is accentuated in the eastern part of the country where the two mountain ranges converge into a lofty region.
Turkey is geologically part of the great Alpine belt that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Himilaya Mountains. Thsi belt was formed as the Arabian, African, and Indian continental plates began to collife with the Eurasian plate. This process is still at work today as the African Plate converges with the Eurasian Plate and the Anatolian Plate escapes towards the west and southwest along strike-slip faults. These are the North Anatolian Fault Zone, which forms the present day plate boundary of Eurasian near the Black Sea coast and, the East Anatolian Fault Zone, which forms part of the boundary of the North Arabian Plate in the southeast. As a result of this plate tectonics configuratio, Turkey is one of the world's more active earthquake and volcano regions.
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Heading off to Beijing, China!

Hey everyone! I left the beautiful New Zeland and just arrived in Beijing, China! It's so cool here! Sadly I'm only here for a day while other flights of mine get situated but for now here is some info on plate tectonics and boundary lines here.
China is principally part of the Eurasian plate but the margins of the Indian and Philippine Sea plates are involved in the Himilayas and in the Coastal Range of Taiwan. Evidence has revealed large-scale subduction and tectonic exhumattion during the consolidation of the Eurasian plate. Cenozoic collision of the Eurasian and Indian Plates produced deformation and uplift of the Himilayas, strongly influencing the tectonics of western China.
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Volcanoes in New Zealand!

Hey everyone! Check out this awesome info on volcanoes here in New Zealand! Volcanoes are a huge deal here!
From the beginning on time, volcanoes have shaped the islands of New Zealand. New Zealanders have come to regard volcanoes as a national treasure and an inspiration, as much a vitlal part of a uniquely New Zealand way of life as they are a fiery force in its landscape.
New Zealand is one of the most tectonically active countries in the world. The Islands active volcanoes are within the Taupo Volcanic Zone, caused by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Australian Plate. The Pacific Plate is sinking beneath the Australian Plate at a rate of 5cms/year. The TVZ is an extensional feature called a back arc basin which allows magma from the mantel to well up near the crust causing more activity. The basin has formed to the east of the subduction zone and is caused by the extension of crust above the subduction zone. The extension has created two types of volcanism: Dacitic/Andesitic/Basaltic traditional cone volcanoes and Rhyolitic Calderas which have produced over 90% of the volcanic material. The TVZ extends from the centre of North Island from Ruapehu to White of Plenty and has been active for the last 1.6 million years. Unlike the North Island the Southn Island has no active volcanoes because its boundary is not subduction but is a conservative or strike slip boundary where the plates slide past each other.
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Wellington, New Zealand!

Hey everyone! I've left Lima, Peru and I just recently landed in Wellington, New Zealand! New Zealand is so beautiful and I can't wait to explore this magical land. Here some info on earthquakes and plate tectonics here in New Zealand. It lays at 41°17'33.20"S and 174°46'23.80"E. Wellington is prone to earthquakes because it rests on the point where two tectonic plates meet. The light but thick Australian Plate rises over the heavier but thinner Pacific Plate. The movement of these plates have resulted in three major fault-lines running through or very close to Wellington, the Ohariu Fault, the Wairarapa Fault, and the Wellington Fault. When one of these faults suddenly shifts, an earthquake occurs.
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Volcanoes and Landscape in Lima, Peru

The Andean Volcanic Belt or The Andes runs through Peru. The subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate has casued many volcanoes to activate, some very recently. The volcanoes are most commonly found in the southern part of the country. The most active are the Misti, Ubinas, Sabancaya, Huaynaputina, Ticsani, Tutupaca, and Yucamane.
These two tectonic plates are located near the Peruvian coast. These plates are converging at 78 mm a year. The South American Plate moving towards the sea over the Nazca Plate has caused the rise of the Andes mountain range and the creation of the Peru-Chile Trench as well as the volcanism in the Peruvian Highlands.
Peru is divided into three regions, the coast, the jungle, and the highlands. In Peru nature has taken on particular characteristics which have turned its mountains, plains, jungles, and valleys into unique habitats.

Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics in Lima, Peru

Hello, my name is Atty and today is the first day of my journey to discover tectonic plates all over the world. I will be starting in Lima, the capitol of Peru which is located at 12 degrees 02'36.00" S and 77 degrees 01'.42.00" W. Here in Lima there are a lot of earthquakes because of the plate tectonics. The plates collide, move apart or slide past one another and eventually all of this movement causes earthquakes. Peru is on the boundary line of two tectonic plates, the Nazca Plate and South American Plate. These two plates form a convergent boundary meaning subduction. In this case it is continental crust over ocean crust. The South American Plate went over the Nazca Plate.

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