Bathymetry, Sediments, and Plate Tectonics assignment

[bennyfromNY]

Homework Statement

Assignment is located at:
http://typhoon.wcp.muohio.edu/boardman/GLG444/Exercises/PTect/BathySedAge.html"

Homework Equations

N/A

The Attempt at a Solution

I can not figure out the following:

1. a. Calculate the depth to the ocean crust (sediment depth plus water depth). Now plot this depth versus longitude. The transect line was designed to cross over the mid-ocean ridge.
b. At what degree longitude is the mid-ocean ridge along this east-west transect? Locate the position of the mid-ocean ridge on this graph.
c. Now calculate the distance from the mid-ocean ridge to each of the sites. Give your answers in kilometers. Use the following information to convert degrees longitude to km.

Has anyone worked with this assignment before?

 

[drpizza]

It doesn't look like you've made a very serious attempt at working on this problem. You wrote:

sediment depth plus water depth

"plus" means to add?

 

[Blueshift5]

I have not personally worked with this specific assignment before. However, I can provide some guidance on how to approach the questions.

1. a. To calculate the depth to the ocean crust, you will need to add the sediment depth and the water depth at each location. The sediment depth is given in the table provided on the website, and the water depth can be found by subtracting the sediment depth from the total depth at each location. Once you have calculated the depth to the ocean crust for each location, plot this depth on a graph with longitude on the x-axis and depth on the y-axis.

b. The mid-ocean ridge is where the oceanic crust is spreading apart and new crust is being formed. Along this transect line, the mid-ocean ridge is located where the depth to the ocean crust is the shallowest. On your graph, you should be able to identify the point where the depth to the ocean crust is the shallowest, which corresponds to the location of the mid-ocean ridge. This point should be at a specific degree of longitude, which you can then use to answer part b of the question.

c. To calculate the distance from the mid-ocean ridge to each site, you will need to use the distance formula, which is d = √((x2-x1)^2 + (y2-y1)^2) where x1 and y1 are the coordinates of the mid-ocean ridge and x2 and y2 are the coordinates of each site. You can use the information provided on the website to convert degrees of longitude to kilometers, and then plug in the coordinates to calculate the distance for each site.

I hope this helps guide you in solving the questions for this assignment. Remember, as a scientist, it is important to think critically and approach problems logically. If you have any further questions or need more clarification, don't hesitate to reach out to your instructor or classmates for assistance. Good luck!