North Galapagos microplate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tectonic plate off west South America
| North Galapagos microplate | |
|---|---|
| Type | Minor |
| Movement1 | Counterclockwise 90 degrees |
| Speed1 | undefined |
| Features | Pacific Ocean |
| 1Relative to the African plate | |
The North Galapagos microplate is a small tectonic plate off the west coast of South America north of the Galápagos Islands.3°45′N 101°45′W / 3.75°N 101.75°W / 3.75; -101.75 [1] It is rotating counterclockwise between three much larger crustal plates around it, the Nazca, Cocos and Pacific plates. To its south, another small microplate, the Galapagos Microplate is likewise rotating, but clockwise.[2] Both microplates "mesh" along the interface between them.
References
[edit ]- ^ "Columbia University Researchers Find Key to the Formation of New Seafloor Spreading Centers". December 3, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Galapagos Microplate". February 23, 2005. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- Bird, P. (2003) An updated digital model of plate boundaries, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 4(3), 1027, doi:10.1029/2001GC000252. [1]
