The Hawaiian chain of islands extends beyond what we typically think of as Hawaii. The extinct volcanic island Midway (home to a famous World War II battle) was produce by the same hot spot that is currently producing eruptions on Hawaii. The basalts on Midway can be radiometrically dated, and are 27 million years old. Midway is located 1,822,000 meters away from the active hot spot. Assume that the hot spot was stationary, and that all motion of Midway relative to the hot spot was due to motion of the Pacific Plate itself. What has been the average rate of motion for the Pacific Plate over the last 27 million years in cm per year? (Remember Rate = Distance / Time and that there are 100 centimeters in a meter.)
The Hawaiian chain of islands extends beyond what we typically think of as Hawaii. The extinct volcanic island Midway (home to a famous World War II battle) was produce by the same hot spot that is currently producing eruptions on Hawaii. The basalts on Midway can be radiometrically dated, and are 27 million years old. Midway is located 1,822,000 meters away from the active hot spot. Assume that the hot spot was stationary, and that all motion of Midway relative to the hot spot was due to motion of the Pacific Plate itself. What has been the average rate of motion for the Pacific Plate over the last 27 million years in cm per year? (Remember Rate = Distance / Time and that there are 100 centimeters in a meter.)
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