CER

Why are there uneven distributions of oil, natural gasses, copper and geothermal activity around the world?

There are uneven distributions of copper, oil, natural gasses and geothermal activity around the world because when the Pangaea broke up into seven continents, they each carried separate natural resources with them therefore different countries got different natural resources.

Convection caused the tectonic plates to move all around which is how Pangaea broke up. When Pangaea broke up and South America separated, Chile became the world's largest copper producing country because there was an ore deposit forming subduction zone. This meant that when the oceanic crust and the continental crust met, ore rose up to the earth's crust carrying copper inside of the ores. When the tectonic plates crashed into each other, the Andes, the largest mountain chain in the world, formed. Beneath the Andes, a copper porphyry was made. Chile got the longest mountain range which meant that Chile got majority of the mountains found in one place. Chile also has about 500 volcanos which means that many tectonic plates crashed into each other causing more ores to rise and more porphyry's to form. Therefore, when Pangaea divided, the resources were unevenly distributed since Chile got majority or the mountains and volcanos. 

When the tectonic plates moved around and Asia broke off from Pangaea, Saudi Arabia was placed in a location that was right above sea where lots of oil lay beneath the seabed. Just like how Russia was placed above a sea where lots of natural gasses lay beneath the seabed. Oil and natural gasses are formed the same way, sometimes natural gasses are formed and sometimes oil is made. They were both made by decomposed matters, mainly of marine microorganisms, which were buried under many layers of rock and sand in an oxygen free environment. Underground, they were exposed to extreme heat and pressure. They underwent a thermal breakdown process where the matter was converted into hydrocarbon, which is natural gas. As for oil, it undergoes one more step, where after it is converted into hydrocarbon, over time, the hydrocarbon gets converted to a liquid which is petrol and migrates up to the surface. Therefore, when Pangaea divided, the resources were unevenly distributed because Saudi Arabia and Russia were located above parts of the sea which are rich in natural gasses and oil.

As for geothermal activity, when the tectonic plates crashed into each other, many subduction zones were created, where the heavier plates slipped under the lighter plates which created deep trenches. The plates moving cause the dense mantle material, which is the interior of the earth, into buoyant magma. This magma rises through the earth's crust and onto the surface. Over millions of years, the magma has created a series of active volcanos which are called the volcanic arc. The volcanic arc makes up the ring of fire. So, when Pangaea broke up, the resources were unevenly distributed because the countries making up the ring of fire around the pacific ocean, have more geothermal activity going on than others since there are more volcanos which create geothermal energy. 

In conclusion, there are uneven distributions of copper, oil, natural gasses and geothermal activity around the world because when the Pangaea broke up into seven continents, different countries got different natural resources than others because of their location.