Get Chapter 8 - Plate Tectonics - Quiz Questions 1- 6

Rates of motion These average rates of plate separations can range widely. The Arctic Ridge has the slowest rate (less than 2.5 cm/yr), and the East Pacific Rise near Easter Island, in the South Pacific about 3,400 km west of Chile, has the fastest rate (more than 15 cm/yr).

The force that causes most of the plate movement is thermal convection, where heat from the Earth's interior causes currents of hot rising magma and cooler sinking magma to flow, moving the plates of the crust along with them.

convection currents are a process in which the materials inside the mantle heat up and rise to the surface whilst the cooler liquid sinks; as it sinks it then heats up and rises again. This continuous cycle is established: hot liquid rising, cold liquid descending. These currents cause the tectonic plates to move.

Rates of motion These average rates of plate separations can range widely. The Arctic Ridge has the slowest rate (less than 2.5 cm/yr), and the East Pacific Rise near Easter Island, in the South Pacific about 3,400 km west of Chile, has the fastest rate (more than 15 cm/yr).

Most plates move less than a millimeter per day; this movement is imperceptible to human senses. However, this daily motion translates to 1-10 centimeters of movement over a year, and that yearly motion translates to 10-50 kilometers of movement over a million years.

The force that causes most of the plate movement is thermal convection, where heat from the Earth's interior causes currents of hot rising magma and cooler sinking magma to flow, moving the plates of the crust along with them.

Even though plates move very slowly, their motion, called plate tectonics , has a huge impact on our planet. Plate tectonics form the oceans, continents, and mountains. It also helps us understand why and where events like earthquakes occur and volcanoes erupt.

convection currents are a process in which the materials inside the mantle heat up and rise to the surface whilst the cooler liquid sinks; as it sinks it then heats up and rises again. This continuous cycle is established: hot liquid rising, cold liquid descending. These currents cause the tectonic plates to move.

What happens at divergent plate boundaries in the continental crust? What are the moving plates of the Earth's crust called? Is the continental crust heavier than the oceanic crust? How does the mantle affect the Earth's crust?

Most plates move less than a millimeter per day; this movement is imperceptible to human senses. However, this daily motion translates to 1-10 centimeters of movement over a year, and that yearly motion translates to 10-50 kilometers of movement over a million years.

The Pacific Plate is the fastest at over 10 cm/year in some areas, followed by the Australian and Nazca Plates. The North American Plate is one of the slowest, averaging around 1 cm/year in the south up to almost 4 cm/year in the north.

Even though plates move very slowly, their motion, called plate tectonics , has a huge impact on our planet. Plate tectonics form the oceans, continents, and mountains. It also helps us understand why and where events like earthquakes occur and volcanoes erupt.

And the rate at which a plate sinks depends mostly on its age/temperature/density: older plates are cooler/denser, thus they sink at a higher velocity than younger plates. Save this answer.

What happens at divergent plate boundaries in the continental crust? What are the moving plates of the Earth's crust called? Is the continental crust heavier than the oceanic crust? How does the mantle affect the Earth's crust?

Researchers from Yale University said that tectonic plates beneath the Earth's surface, which normally shift over the course of tens to hundreds of millions of years, sometimes move abruptly.

The Pacific Plate is the fastest at over 10 cm/year in some areas, followed by the Australian and Nazca Plates. The North American Plate is one of the slowest, averaging around 1 cm/year in the south up to almost 4 cm/year in the north.

What made plate tectonics a dominant process only on Earth? How did the planet cool down before plate tectonics? Was the Earth's crust formed during the early stages of its evolution or is it the result of a gradual distillation of the mantle that continues today along with crustal recycling?

And the rate at which a plate sinks depends mostly on its age/temperature/density: older plates are cooler/denser, thus they sink at a higher velocity than younger plates. Save this answer.

The heat from radioactive processes within the planet's interior causes the plates to move, sometimes toward and sometimes away from each other. This movement is called plate motion, or tectonic shift.

Researchers from Yale University said that tectonic plates beneath the Earth's surface, which normally shift over the course of tens to hundreds of millions of years, sometimes move abruptly.

They can move at rates of up to four inches (10 centimeters) per year, but most move much slower than that. Different parts of a plate move at different speeds. The plates move in different directions, colliding, moving away from, and sliding past one another.

What made plate tectonics a dominant process only on Earth? How did the planet cool down before plate tectonics? Was the Earth's crust formed during the early stages of its evolution or is it the result of a gradual distillation of the mantle that continues today along with crustal recycling?

The heat from radioactive processes within the planet's interior causes the plates to move, sometimes toward and sometimes away from each other. This movement is called plate motion, or tectonic shift.

They can move at rates of up to four inches (10 centimeters) per year, but most move much slower than that. Different parts of a plate move at different speeds. The plates move in different directions, colliding, moving away from, and sliding past one another.