GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

TECTONICS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Why don’t we feel the plates moving?
A
The movement is very fast (1000 miles per hour)
B
The movement is very fast (1000 miles per hour)
C
The movement is very slow (2-10 centimeters per year)
D
None of the above
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -We do not feel the continents movement because they are moving at very slow rate. 2.5 cm per year. The maximum speed is of Indian ocean plate with 5-6 cm per year. This speed is similar to growth of your fingernails.

Detailed explanation-2: -Tectonic Plates Move at Snail’s Pace This is because solids move, flow, and deform very, very slowly. Materials such as water that have shorter timescales of flow have lower viscosities, while solids such as rocks have higher viscosities. Hence, the rate at which solids will move will be extremely slow.

Detailed explanation-3: -The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move into one another; divergent, where plates move apart; and transform, where plates move sideways in relation to each other. They move at a rate of one to two inches (three to five centimeters) per year.

Detailed explanation-4: -They can move at rates of up to four inches (10 centimeters) per year, but most move much slower than that. Different parts of a plate move at different speeds. The plates move in different directions, colliding, moving away from, and sliding past one another. Most plates are made of both oceanic and continental crust.

Detailed explanation-5: -The average rate of plate movement is approximately 5 cm/yr (about as fast as fingernails grow). This rate is perceptible but only over a long time.

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