An earth scientist studies the earth, of course. He studies the history of the earth. He also reports on the changes that are constantly taking place. He studies the universe and the role the earth plays in it. (Patti Hutchison)
TheBenham Plateau, also known as theBenham Rise, is aseismicallyactive undersea region andextinct volcanic ridgelocated in thePhilippine Seaapproximately 250 km (160 mi) east of the northern coastline ofDinapigue, Isabela.
Under the Philippine Sea lie a number of basins including theWest Philippine Sea Basin, inside of which is located theCentral Basin Fault(CBF).[1]The Benham Plateau is located in the CBF and its basement probably is a micro-continent.[2]Several scientific surveys have been made on the feature to study its nature and its impact ontectonicsubduction, including one about its effects on the1990 Luzon earthquake. The Philippines claimed this feature as part of itscontinental shelfin a claim lodged with theUnited NationsCommission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on 8 April 2009, and which was approved under theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS) in 2012.
In light of the current issues concerning our country today and can easily can relate it to the recent events pertaining to our territorial islands which was being claimed by another countries, we can possibly find ourselves asking as to what have we done on our islands? Have we done anything to protect them? Are we going to lose our islands just like these always? And so the thought of the Filipino Earth Scientists comes to my mind. Have we ever wondered if there is any Earth Scientists that may help us explore our vast natural resources? Have we managed to do our fair share to keep our territory within our sovereign powers?
We could only be dismayed of the news that other more powerful countries are secretly coming in to our territory and do their explorations easily because of their wide resources. And much as we want to protect our territory, its beyond our control because we can’t do nothing with it. So questions coming in to my mind, donn’t we have Filipino scientists? Because we badly need them. This is how Science comes in the picture. The importance of studying Science in relation to our national security and territory. We should have done soething to our students to interest them to pursue being a scientist and serve the country right after they graduated. This situation occurs only when the situation is right in front of us, it’s a foreseeable crisis and do not pose threat earlier. We should anticipate that this will come sooner or later. If we could just add scholarships and programs to our students who are able and can pursue a career being a scientist can make our country a better place and can make a successful country.
Reference: https://www.google.com.ph/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=WDXLWIvdDrDz8AeuhJGgCg&gws_rd=ssl#q=earth+scientist+&*
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benham_Plateau
By: Jeddah P. Valencia | St. Catherine of Siena Academy
