Anth 368

Midterm
1.What roles do plate tectonics play in the geomorphology of Pacific Islands?
The earth’s crust is made out of plate tectonics. Each plate has a defined boundary and direction it moves. The plates in Earth’s crust perform two actions; they submerge under each other or they spread out. The Pacific Plate is the largest plate and it borders around many plates. The Pacific Plate moves northwest. New crust is formed from magma outpours, which are a result of the zones spreading. The tectonic plates created the islands. When the tectonic plates move, it creates the change in geography. Active volcanoes together shape the way islands are build. The magma from the volcano and the deposits from the plate are needed to create …show more content…

The Lapita people left presence in many islands.
The Lapita pottery was decorated by the process of stamping. The clay was stamped by carved teeth. The designs of the pots fall in patterns to create motifs. There were rules for how the pottery designs were done. The fact that there were rules to art shows a developed society and values. The pottery was fired in an open fire. This caused the insides to not become fully oxidized. This flaw was found consistent in the artifacts. All bowls, dishes, jars, and other ceramic goods, were created with the open fire and decorated through the stamping process. Some of the later discovered Lapita ceramics were found to symbolize human faces. These ceramics were believed to have either represented ancestors or used in rituals. Besides having decorated ceramics, the Lapita people also made ceramics that were plain. The plain ceramics had a globular shape believed to have served the purpose of storing flour. The Lapita people made more than just ceramics. They also created bracelets, fishhooks and tools such as a peeling knife.
An item like fishhook is not a new phenomenon to the people in the Pacific Islands. The people were surrounded by the ocean. They had to either get or grow food from the land or from