Table of Contents
- 1 What was the general direction of plate motion during the formation of the Hawaiian Islands?
- 2 What direction do the Hawaiian Islands move?
- 3 Which direction is the Australian and Pacific Plate moving?
- 4 What direction is Pacific Plate?
- 5 Which direction is the South American plate moving?
- 6 Why is the Pacific Plate moving north west?
What was the general direction of plate motion during the formation of the Hawaiian Islands?
The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic activity. Each island or submerged seamount in the chain is successively older toward the northwest. Near Hawaii, the age progression from island to island can be used to calculate the motion of the Pacific Oceanic plate toward the northwest.
What direction do the Hawaiian Islands move?
The Hawaiian Islands are moving to the northwest. The islands are located on the Pacific Plate, which is gradually moving to the north and west at the…
Which island is the oldest and in which direction the plate is moving?
The oldest islands are the furthest to the West from the hot spot. As the Pacific Plate moves, newer islands form. Hawaii is the youngest island and it is still being formed today; thus, Hawaii is currently at the hot spot location. You have been given ages for three of the islands: Kauai, Molokai and Hawaii.
Which direction is the North American plate moving?
west-southwest
The North American plate is moving to the west-southwest at about 2.3 cm (~1 inch) per year driven by the spreading center that created the Atlantic Ocean, the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
Which direction is the Australian and Pacific Plate moving?
The pacific plate rotates around a point south of Australia. Around Hawaii, the plate is moving at about 7 cm/year, or about as fast as finger mails grow. The evidence for this motion is pretty convincing: earthquakes: earthquakes occur on the boundaries of the plates as they rub past each other.
What direction is Pacific Plate?
northwest
The Pacific Plate is moving to the northwest at a speed of between 7 and 11 centimeters (cm) or ~3-4 inches a year. The North American plate is moving to the west-southwest at about 2.3 cm (~1 inch) per year driven by the spreading center that created the Atlantic Ocean, the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
In what direction did the Pacific Plate move originally?
Heezen and Marie Tharp, Copyright 1977.) A sharp bend in the chain indicates that the motion of the Pacific Plate abruptly changed about 43 million years ago, as it took a more westerly turn from its earlier northerly direction.
In which compass direction is the Pacific Plate currently moving?
The Pacific Plate is moving to the northwest at a speed of between 7 and 11 centimeters (cm) or ~3-4 inches a year. The North American plate is moving to the west-southwest at about 2.3 cm (~1 inch) per year driven by the spreading center that created the Atlantic Ocean, the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
Which direction is the South American plate moving?
Image descriptions
| Plate name | Description of plate | Description of movement |
|---|---|---|
| South America plate | This plate starts at the western edge of South America and stretches east into the southwestern parst of the Atlantic Ocean. | This plate moves north and slightly west towards the Caribbean plate and the North America plate. |
Why is the Pacific Plate moving north west?
The Pacific Plate is being moved north west due to sea floor spreading from the East Pacific Rise (divergent margin) in the Gulf of California. The North American Plate is being pushed west and north west due to sea floor spreading from the Mid Atlantic Ridge (divergent margin).