Sarit Laschinsky
ESS 211 AC
Pacific and Australian Plate Boundary
The boundary between the Pacific Plate and Australian Plate is marked by volcanism, earthquakes, and different and unique topography. The border of these two plates is composed of a mix of transform and convergent boundaries along the Eastern edge of the Australian plate, with both divergent and convergent boundaries along the Northern edge. The Australian Plate is moving in a North to Northeastern direction at a speed of approximately 7 cm /year (although the continent of Australia only shifts by approximately 5.6 cm/year) [1][7]. Meanwhile, the Pacific Plate moves towards the Northwest at a speed of also approximately 7 cm/year (at least the speed of the movement of Hawaii). [7] Each plate subducts beneath the other at some points along the boundary, which contributes to some of the different volcanism and topographical features along the plate boundary.
One of the major features of the Western edge of the Australian/Pacific plate boundary is the Alpine Fault. This is a transform or strike slip fault, running approximately 600 miles up the South Island of New Zealand. The Alpine Fault is considered to be a visible, “on-land” boundary of the two constituent plates, and also marks the transition from a transform to convergent boundary. The Alpine Fault also ruptures, which leads to seismic activity as well as considerable horizontal movement, up to 30 m every 1000 years. This horizontal movement causes
This lab uses earthquake data to construct profiles of two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench. Where two tectonic plates converge, if one or both of the plates is an oceanic lithosphere, a subduction zone will form. When crust is formed at a mid-ocean ridge, it is hot and buoyant meaning it has a low density. As it spreads away from the ridge and cools and contracts, or becomes denser, it is able to sink into the hotter underlying mantle. When two oceanic plates collide, the younger of the two plates, because it is less dense will ride over the edge of the older plate. The density of the
There are three different types of plate boundaries. The first type of plate boundaries is, the spreading boundary. A spreading boundary is when two plates move apart. The spreading boundary is also known as a divergent boundary. The second type of plate boundary is a colliding boundary. A colliding boundary is when two plates come together, or collide. It is also known as convergent boundary. The third is, a sliding boundary. A sliding boundary is when two plates slip past each other moving in opposite directions. It is also known as transform boundary. Those were the three different types of plate
Be sure to consider topography/bathymetry as well as the earthquake and volcano layers. List several ways and be specific. 3pts In the middle between the two Without the plate boundary feature, you would still see the change in depth where the mountains are, still feel earthquakes, and see volcanic eruptions. Adapted from an activity by Laurel Goodell February 2013
But there are some anomalies as there are earthquakes which don’t take place on a plate boundary and it’s the same with volcanoes. An example of this is Hawaii. Hawaii is a volcanic island which is found in the middle of a tectonic plate. Hawaii is an example of a hotspot. The places known as hotspots are volcanic regions thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot compared with the mantle elsewhere. They may be on, near to, or far from tectonic plate boundaries. There are two hypotheses to explain them. One suggests that they are due to hot mantle plumes that rise from the core-mantle boundary. The other hypothesis postulates that it is not high
In conclusion the recent conception and development of plate tectonic theory has greatly aided our understanding of the distribution of seismic events. We now understand that there is a correlation between earthquakes/volcanoes locations and their proximity to a plate boundary plates are continually moving and earthquakes and volcanoes are found along these boundaries. Exceptions to this rule such as Hawaii also help prove tectonic theory due to their unique creation. Whilst this has helped our understanding we also recognise the fact those in LEDCs with poor access to education are unaware of plate tectonic theory so they cannot understand the hazards that some countries face, nor have the means to mitigate against them thus worsening the
The gravitational stress on the volcano flanks develops large-scale on-shore and off-shore sliding, related to the activity of the rift zones. The M=7.2 earthquake at Kilauea on 1975 was probably related to strain accumulated throughout the south flank from dikes intruded in the rift zone (Swanson et al., 1976). However, the earthquake itself resulted from abrupt southward movement of the south flank across the underlying oceanic crust, activating the Hilina-Pali fault system. Such faulting not only provides a means for the flanks to adjust continuously to intrusions, but also generates the stress patterns needed to constrain future dikes to propagate along the rift axis. Therefore, rift intrusion and lateral spreading are major contributors
Plate Tectonics is a scientific theory which study how the Earth’s plates are driven and shaped by geological forces to keep them in constant movement. The theory explains the present-day tectonic behavior of the Earth, particularly the global distribution of mountain building, earthquake activity, and volcanism in a series of linear belt. (Pitman, W.C., 2007)
The tectonic setting for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake was in the outermost shell of earth consisting of rigid plates that have been moving for hundreds of millions of years. Two of these moving plates meet in western California; the boundary between them is a zone of faults, the principal one being the San Andreas fault. The Pacific Plate (on the west) slides horizontally northwestward relative to the North American Plate (on the east), causing earthquakes along the San Andreas and associated faults. The San Andreas fault is a transform plate boundary, accommodating horizontal relative motions (usgs.gov).
Plate tectonics are very dangerous when they collide,slide,and move apart. They can create mountains like the Appalachian Mountains that used to tower over everything then erosion took place. The Appalachian Mountains were formed by convergent boundaries, convergent boundaries are collide
The extension phase begins around 28 million years go when the Faralon plate is replaced by the Pacific plate and subduction stops. At 20 million years ago the pacific plate begins pulling northwest, which results in stress and tensional force for the area soon to become the Salton trough. As the North American Plate is pulled west and north, the San Andreas Fault begins to form along with a rift valley. Some more small mountains in the Salton Trough were created as a result of magma rising through cracks in the crust that had been thinned as a result of the tensional stress.
The earth’s crust is made out of plate tectonics. Each plate has a defined boundary and direction it moves. The plates in Earth’s crust perform two actions; they submerge under each other or they spread out. The Pacific Plate is the largest plate and it borders around many plates. The Pacific Plate moves northwest. New crust is formed from magma outpours, which are a result of the zones spreading. The tectonic plates created the islands. When the tectonic plates move, it creates the change in geography. Active volcanoes together shape the way islands are build. The magma from the volcano and the deposits from the plate are needed to create
Australia is a vast, dry, low-relief interior, while the island of New Zealand is mountainous with a temperate climate. Australia is one of the oldest rock on the planet, situated in the center of the Australian Plate. New Zealand is younger, therefore less stable because of it location along the Ring of Fire, having plenty of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, however, Australia has neither of these phenomenas. The elevation differences is considerable, as Australia's highest point, Mount Kosciosko is lower than the entire elevation of New Zealand, with its high point at Mount Cook. Along Australia's low relief region there are plateaus, plains, and the Great Artesian Basin provides essential water to the desert country. In the southern half of Australia were are predominant river systems, which contains mineral wealth. Australia's physiographic benefits the country, while New Zealand see it as obstacles, and while they both are surrounded by oceans from every angle, these two countries vary in many ways governmental, economically, and socially.
The Earth is always changing because of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics describes the behavior of earth's out shell, with pieces bumping and grinding each other about. Most of the world's active volcanoes are located along or near the boundaries between shifting plates and are called plate-boundary volcanoes. The Hawaiian Islands are one of the best examples of an intra-plate volcanic chain. They are developed by the northwest-moving Pacific Plate passing over an inferred hot spot that inmates the magma generating and volcano-formation process. The Ring of Fire in parts of the Pacific Ocean contain many active volcanoes which Mt. St. Helens is a part of. The zone along plate boundaries are the most geologically active regions on Earth.
Large magnitude earthquakes occur on plate boundaries and they can produce hazards such as movement along faults, landslides, and tsunamis if the earthquake occurs close to a large enough body of water. In North America, the western coast is an active margin, meaning that it is home to earthquakes and volcanoes, a physical manifestation of the plate activity occuring. On November 3rd, 2002, in South-Central Alaska, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake ruptured along three faults; the Susinta Glacier, Denali, and Totschunda faults (Eberhart-Phillips et al., 2003). The seismic hazards associated with this event included a few large aftershocks and liquefaction, which is when saturated soil losses its strength and behaves like a liquid
Scientist are struggling to come up with a widely accepted model that will explain the role of non-vertical strike-slip fault segments, crustal movement and deformation within Pacific –North American plate boundary. Multiple methods of analysis are being used; some of which are described below.