What will eventually happen to the pacific plate

New evidence for the Hawaiian hotspot plume motion since the Eocene. Laj, C. Inter , — Garnero, E. Torsvik, T. Earth evolution and dynamics—a tribute to Kevin Burke.

American Geophysical Union Reference Shelf 1 ed. Ahrens, T. Intra-Panthalassa Ocean subduction zones revealed by fossil arcs and mantle structure. Sigloch, K. Intra-oceanic subduction shaped the assembly of Cordilleran North America. Nature , 50—56 Domeier, M. Global correlation of lower mantle structure and past subduction. Sager, W. Paleomagnetic modeling of seamounts near the Hawaiian—Emperor bend.

Tectonophysics , — Phanerozoic polar wander, paleogeography and dynamics. On the uncertainties in hot spot reconstructions and the significance of moving hot spot reference frames.

Constraints on past plate and mantle motion from new ages for the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain. Boyden, J. Jupp, P. Fitting smooth paths to spherical data. French, S. Whole-mantle radially anisotropic shear velocity structure from spectral-element waveform tomography. Topography caused by mantle density variations: Observation-based estimates and models derived from tomography and lithosphere thickness.

Plate tectonics and net lithosphere rotation over the past My. Sandwell, D. Marine gravity anomaly from Geosat and ERS 1 satellite altimetry. Gromme, S. Paleomagnetism of midway atoll lavas and northward movement of the Pacific plate. Bono, R. Wessel, P. Pacific absolute plate motion since Ma: an assessment of the fixed hot spot hypothesis. Ridge-spotting: a new test for Pacific absolute plate motion models. Shephard, G. Circum-Arctic mantle structure and long-wavelenght topography since the Jurassic.

Global plate motion frames: toward a unified model. Ocean basin evolution and global-scale plate reorganization events since Pangea breakup. Acton, G. Petronotis, K. A 57 Ma Pacific plate palaeomagnetic pole determined from a skewness analysis of crossings of marine magnetic anomaly 25r.

A Maastrichtian paleomagnetic pole for the Pacific plate from a skewness analysis of marine magnetic anomaly Cretaceous paleomagnetic apparent polar wander path for the Pacific plate calculated from Deep Sea Drilling Project and Ocean Drilling Program basalt cores. Horner-Johnson, B. True polar wander since 32 Ma B. Paleomagnetism of Abbott Seamount and implications for the latitudinal drift of the Hawaiian hotspot.

Mid-Cretaceous to early Tertiary apparent polar wander path of the Pacific plate. Download references. We thank Rakib Hassan for providing us with his geodynamic model of the Hawaiian hotspot motion. Trond H. Torsvik, Pavel V. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. All authors contributed to the manuscript. Correspondence to Trond H. Reprints and Permissions. Nat Commun 8, Download citation. Received : 12 January Accepted : 12 April Published : 05 June Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

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Download PDF. Subjects Geodynamics Palaeomagnetism Seismology Tectonics. Figure 1: Hawaiian-Emperor Chain. Full size image. Figure 2: Latitudes and surface motion of the Hawaiian hotspot.

Results Geometric considerations Before discussing the estimates of Hawaiian hotspot drift available from geodynamic models and palaeomagnetic data, we find it instructive to provide an illustration of what kind of hotspot drift would be expected in the absence of a change in the Pacific plate motion at the time of the HEB. Figure 3: Simulating the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend. Figure 4: Motion of the Hawaiian hotspot inferred from absolute kinematic models. Figure 5: Models of Hawaiian hotspot track and hotspot surface motion.

Figure 6: Imaging the Hawaiian Plume and geodynamic modelling. Figure 7: Plate reconstructions and latitudes. Figure 8: Pacific apparent polar wander. Table 1 Pacific apparent polar wander path. Full size table. Inferences of hotspot motion from absolute plate kinematics The estimates of hotspot drift shown in Fig. Geodynamic modelling The density model shown in Fig. Data availability The authors declare that all relevant data are available within the article.

Additional information How to cite this article: Torsvik, T. References 1 Wilson, J. Google Scholar 2 Morgan, W. Google Scholar 3 Morgan, W. Google Scholar 4 Morgan, W.

Google Scholar 5 Molnar, P. Google Scholar 6 Norton, I. Google Scholar 7 Raymond, C. Google Scholar 10 Koivisto, E. Google Scholar 11 Seton, M. Google Scholar 12 Wright, N. Google Scholar 13 Wilson, D. Google Scholar 14 Hassan, R. Google Scholar 17 Kono, M.

It was subducted beneath California leaving the San Andreas fault system behind as the contact between the North America and Pacific plates. The Juan de Fuca Plate is still actively subducting beneath N. Its motion is not smooth, but rather sticky; strain builds up until the fault breaks and a few meters of Juan De Fuca slips under North America in a big Megathrust earthquake.

This action takes place along the interface between the plates from the Juan de Fuca Trench offshore down-dip until the fault is too weak to store up any elastic stress. The locked zone varies in width from a few tens of kilometers km along the Oregon coast to perhaps a hundred km or more off of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, and is about 1, km long.

These plate motions are the primary source of strain in the lithosphere that lead to earthquakes in our region. In California, much of the strain generated by the grinding of the Pacific Plate against North America is taken up in earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault and related structures, but the shearing action doesn't end there. This block of crust is rotated west and pushed north into Washington state.

British Columbia, however, is part of rigid North America and moves with it. This results in the Puget Lowland being compressed and warped like an accordion with alternating uplifted and down warped terrain shortening the distance between Centralia, Washington, and the Canadia border.

Shoveling off all the sedimentary deposits from the basement rocks underlying the Puget Lowland would certainly be one way to reveal this pattern. Earthquakes are more common in some parts of the world than others, because some places, like California, sit on top of the meeting point, or fault, of two plates. When those plates scrape against each other and cause an earthquake, the results can be deadly and devastating.

Learn more about earthquakes with this curated collection of classroom resources. The Ring of Fire, also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.

In , after decades of tediously collecting and mapping ocean sonar data, scientists began to see a fairly accurate picture of the seafloor emerge.

The Tharp-Heezen map illustrated the geological features that characterize the seafloor and became a crucial factor in the acceptance of the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift. Today, these theories serve as the foundation upon which we understand the geologic processes that shape the Earth.

Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Article Vocabulary. Links map The Ring of Fire is largely a result of plate tectonics, where the massive Pacific Plate interacts with less-dense plates surrounding it.

This bookmark from our MapMaker Interactive map displays sites of major earthquakes, providing a beautiful illustration of the horseshoe-shaped Ring of Fire. This bookmark from our MapMaker Interactive displays sites of major volcanic eruptions. Geologic features along the Ring of Fire include not only volcanoes, but ocean trenches, mountain trenches, hydrothermal vents, and sites of earthquake activity.

Map courtesy USGS. Cooling Ring. The Pacific Plate, which drives much of the tectonic activity in the Ring of Fire, is cooling off. Scientists have discovered that the youngest parts of the Pacific Plate about 2 million years old are cooling off and contracting at a faster rate than older parts of the plate about million years old. The younger parts of the plate are found in its northern and western parts—the most active parts of the Ring of Fire.

Jolting Japan The island nation of Japan lies along the western edge of the Ring of Fire, and is one of the most tectonically active places on Earth. Anak Krakatau. Andes Mountains. Bering Strait. Cascade Range. Also called a collision zone. East Pacific Rise. C-shaped thick metal sheet nailed to a horse's foot to protect it from damaging surfaces. Also called Krakatau. Ring of Fire. Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

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