Question

The Hawaiian hot spot sits below the Pacific plate. As the plate moves over the hot spot, a chain of volcanoes is formed. The East Molokai Volcano is ~1.76 million years old, and about 178 km away from the current location of the Hawaiian hot spot. Assuming that the hot spot is in a fixed location, how fast (at what rate) is the Pacific plate moving?

Answer 1

Answer:

$3.2048179721\times 10^{-9}\ m/s$

Explanation:

Assuming that the pacific plate moved 178 km in 1.76 million years.

s = Distance = 178 km

t = Time taken = 1.76 million years

Speed is given by

$v=\dfrac{s}{t}\\\Rightarrow v=\dfrac{178000}{1.76\times 10^6\times 365.25\times 24\times 3600}\\\Rightarrow v=3.2048179721\times 10^{-9}\ m/s$

The speed of the plate is $3.2048179721\times 10^{-9}\ m/s$