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The pacific plate is moving in a northwesternly direction
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∙ 16y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago3-9 inches every year.
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How much did the pacific plate move in the Japanese earthquake?
It varied, but some parts of the Pacific plate slipped as much as 80 feet during the earthquake in March 2011.
How fast do the plates move to relation to each other?
This varies from plate to plate. Some move at about the speed your fingernails grow, some much faster.
Why is it that when a quake happens it is usually on the Pacific Plate and not the Atlantic Plate?
81% of earthquakes happen on the Pacific Plate. This area is much more active than the Atlantic Plate because it spans a much bigger area of land and ocean mass.
Which is bigger the Northamerican tectonic plate or pacific tectonic plate?
North America is much bigger than pacific tectonic plate.From :Lyssa
Why is part of California separating from the rest of North America?
California is not separating from North America so much as rubbing up against it. The state of California straddles two tectonic plates: the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate. The place where these two plates come into contact, the San Andreas Fault, is called a transform fault: the North American Plate and the Pacific plate grind back and forth against each other, sometimes creating earthquakes. Since part of California, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, are actually located on the Pacific Plate side, this part of the state is technically separate from the rest of North America already. It doesn't appear that way, since the two plates are pressed against each other, but the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate do move independently of each other, so that section of California is slowly changing its alignment relative to the rest of North America.
What description is The pacific plate is sliding past the North American plate?
True or False? Rocks in the oceans are much older than the rocks found on the continents.
How much do plate tectonics move per year?
relatively very slow but a continuous rate that averages about 5 centimeters per year
Why did Mount Lamington Papua New Guinea erupt in 1951?
Well basically, the volcano is on a plate margin. The pacific plate and Indo-Australian plate collide with each other and one plate is pushed under another. Because of the heat underground, the rock melts and becomes magma. When there is too much magma, it pushes it's way up through the cracks and finally it erupts. The cracks in the rock, (overground) come from when the plates are pushing against each other.
How does plate tectonics affect California?
Much of California is laying on top of the San Andreas fault. For this reason, California tends to have frequent earthquakes as the adjoining plates move beside each other.
Why are volcanoes made constructive plate boundary?
they are not as violent because the plates are sliding away from each other and it is a much smoother process
On what two plates is most of the US?
Most of the US lies on the North American tectonic plate. On the west, much of the North American plate is bordered by the Pacific plate.
How do scientist measure how much plate tectonics move per year?
Global positioning system (gps):)
