Examine this map of the Lutgens Archipelago, a chain of hot-spot-related islands atop the Tarbuck Plate in the Tasa Sea. Use the information given to determine the (a) direction and (b) rate of movement of the Tarbuck Plate

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: Students will need to measure the distance from one island's volcanic center to the next, in kilometers, and use the dates for the lava flows in conjunction with the distance to calculate a rate. The plate must be moving toward the southeast over time, dragging the older islands off in that direction. The rate of motion is about 50 km/million years (or 5 cm/year). For instructors' reference, island #2 is 90 km from island #1 atop the hot spot (where the lava is erupting today), and islands #3 and 4 are 170 km and 220 km from island #1, respectively.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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