Mesozoic Tectonics

1) What are the main Mesozoic orogenies? In what periods did each occur?

2) What happened in each orogeny and what landmasses were involved and what geologic processes and features formed?

3) How did the Atlantic Ocean form? Describe geologic processes that took place, the continental landmasses involved and the geologic features that formed in the ocean and on land as a result.

4) What is the significance of Florida and the Newark Supergroup in terms of the Atlantic Ocean formation?

5) What processes occur along a rift zone? Where in the world is rifting actively occurring?

6) What is the connection between sea floor spreading rates and sea level? Explain.

7) What is a terrane and how are they classified by geologists?

8) What role do terranes have in continental accretion and where in the world is terrane accretion currently occurring and what "terrane" land masses are involved?

9) What is our current latitude? How was North America and how was our area situated relative to the equator in the Late Jurassic and the Middle Cretaceous?

10) What is chalk and why was it so abundant in the Cretaceous? What locations in the world have massive Cretaceous chalk deposits?

11) What are LIPS? What is the difference between LIPS, hotspots and superplumes?

12) What is the significance of LIPS to geology and life?

The Newark Supergroup's lithologies and structure are the classic hallmarks of a rift valley; the fault-blocking illustrates thecrustal extension forces in play during the breakup of Pangea during the late Triassic Period.[1] The Appalachian Mountains had already been nearly eroded flat by the end of the period; the uplift and faulting that was the first part of the rifting provided new sources of sediment for the vast thicknesses deposited in the Newark Supergroup; the igneous intrusions are similarly diagnostic of a rift valley.[1][4] Coarse sediments were deposited near the eastern mountain front, while progressively finer ones were deposited farther west.[5]