HSP 124-02
Albion College
Fall 02021
Discussion Questions for PT, Chapter 2

1) Why didn't they make the Lamont instrument unable to drift rather than creating a new instrument?

2) How do you interpret the map on page 35?

3) On page 43, "one of the consequences of the Vince-Matthews hypothesis is that it offered the possibility of assigning ages to individual stripes, and hence to the underlying sea floor." Why even try to date the stripes? What is the significance?

4) What do we gain from the knowledge of Earth's magnetic fields? What advantages are provided to us by the mapping of these fields?

5) How does the style of the writing help you to understand the geology presented in this chapter? Does the journal style make it easier to read than a typical scientific paper?

6) Page 41 states, "...had I looked more carefully at our map, I would have realized that some of the seamounts might be reversely magnetized, and this might have headed my thoughts in the right direction." Is it common for scientists to feel as if a discovery was right in front of them until someone else discovers it?