Question

There are two islands on opposite sides of a mid-ocean ridge in the Atlantic Ocean. During the last 8 million years, the distance between the islands had increased by 200 kilometers. What is the rate at which the two plates are moving apart?

Answer 1

The rate at which the two plates are moving apart is approximately 0.015625 m per century per plate. This answer is derived from a calculated total movement of 0.03125 m per century.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question pertains to the rate at which two plates are moving apart in the Atlantic Ocean. These plates have moved 200 kilometers apart over a span of 8 million years. First, we need to convert the time from years to centuries because the given example uses a spreading rate in meters per century. There are 80,000 centuries in 8 million years (8,000,000/100). Now, if the distance between the plates increased by 200 km in 8 million years, this amounts to 2,500 m in 80,000 centuries (200,000 m/80,000), or approximately 0.03125 m per century. This rate represents the combined movement of both plates. To find the rate at which each plate is moving, we divide the total movement by 2, giving us approximately 0.015625 m per century per plate. This is the rate at which the two plates are moving apart.

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