Tectonic Plates
There are 7 major plates the; Pacific, the African, the Eurasian, the Australian, the North American, Antarctic and the South American Plates.
The Pacific Plate
The Pacific plate is the biggest Plate out of them all, it covers 108 million square kilometers. All though the Pacific plate is the biggest plate, It doesn't contain a full country inside it boundaries. The Pacific plate is moving north west relative to the plate that holds North America, nothing can move along a straight line, instead the plate rotates around a point on the surface of Australia. The plate is moving at about 7 cm per year, about as fast as finger nails grow.
The Eurasian Plate
The Eurasian Plate covers most of Europe and Asia. It includes an oceanic crust that extends westward to the Mid Atlantic ridge and the Gakkel ridge. The plate is moving to the north, 2 cm every year.
The Australian Plate
The Australian plate covers parts of Indonesia and New Zealand, and all of Australia. The Australian plate is moving in a north east direction, because of this the plate will collide with the Pacific plate. The Australian plate is at threat of breaking in halve due to it’s collision with the Eurasian plate.
The North American Plate
The north American plate covers north America, Greenland, Cuba and the Bahamas, The Plate includes continental crust and oceanic crust. The interior of the main continental landmass includes an extensive granitic core called a carton. The plate is moving towards a south easily direction, away from the Mid Atlantic ridge.
The South American Plate
The South American plate covers all of south America and a reasonable amount of the Atlantic ocean extending out to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The plate is moving westward away from the mid Atlantic Ridge, towards the Nazca plate. The eastward-moving and more dense Nazca plate is moving under the western edge of the South American late along the Pacific coast of the continent at a rate of 77 mm per year. This collision of plates is responsible for lifting the massive Andes Mountains and causing the volcanoes which are strewn throughout them.
The Antarctic Plate
The Antarctic plate is the fifth biggest plate out of them all, it is estimated to be 60,900,000 square kilometres.
The African Plate
The African plate is made up of, all of Africa and also a little bit of oceanic crust. The African Plate's speed is estimated at around 2.15 cm (0.85 in) per year. It has been moving over the past 100 million years or so, in a northeast direction.
The Pacific Plate
The Pacific plate is the biggest Plate out of them all, it covers 108 million square kilometers. All though the Pacific plate is the biggest plate, It doesn't contain a full country inside it boundaries. The Pacific plate is moving north west relative to the plate that holds North America, nothing can move along a straight line, instead the plate rotates around a point on the surface of Australia. The plate is moving at about 7 cm per year, about as fast as finger nails grow.
The Eurasian Plate
The Eurasian Plate covers most of Europe and Asia. It includes an oceanic crust that extends westward to the Mid Atlantic ridge and the Gakkel ridge. The plate is moving to the north, 2 cm every year.
The Australian Plate
The Australian plate covers parts of Indonesia and New Zealand, and all of Australia. The Australian plate is moving in a north east direction, because of this the plate will collide with the Pacific plate. The Australian plate is at threat of breaking in halve due to it’s collision with the Eurasian plate.
The North American Plate
The north American plate covers north America, Greenland, Cuba and the Bahamas, The Plate includes continental crust and oceanic crust. The interior of the main continental landmass includes an extensive granitic core called a carton. The plate is moving towards a south easily direction, away from the Mid Atlantic ridge.
The South American Plate
The South American plate covers all of south America and a reasonable amount of the Atlantic ocean extending out to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The plate is moving westward away from the mid Atlantic Ridge, towards the Nazca plate. The eastward-moving and more dense Nazca plate is moving under the western edge of the South American late along the Pacific coast of the continent at a rate of 77 mm per year. This collision of plates is responsible for lifting the massive Andes Mountains and causing the volcanoes which are strewn throughout them.
The Antarctic Plate
The Antarctic plate is the fifth biggest plate out of them all, it is estimated to be 60,900,000 square kilometres.
The African Plate
The African plate is made up of, all of Africa and also a little bit of oceanic crust. The African Plate's speed is estimated at around 2.15 cm (0.85 in) per year. It has been moving over the past 100 million years or so, in a northeast direction.