Question

The Aleutian Islands off of the coast of Alaska at the edge of the Pacific Oceanic Plate. These islands move at a rate of about 5 cm per year. The islands are moving because:

A. They are being pushed by a neighboring tectonic plate.
B. They are sinking due to volcanic activity.
C. They are sliding on a layer of ice.
D. They are being pulled by the Earth's rotation.

Answer 1

The Aleutian Islands are moving at a rate of approximately 5 cm per year due to the motion of the Pacific Oceanic Plate, which is driven by tectonic plate motion, primarily caused by mantle convection. Option A is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Aleutian Islands move at a rate of about 5 cm per year due to tectonic plate motion. The movement of these islands is caused by their position at the edge of the Pacific Oceanic Plate, which is itself in motion due to earth's crust dynamics.

One of the driving forces behind this movement is the convection of the mantle, where heat from the Earth's interior causes the upward rise of warmer material and the sinking of cooler material, propelling the plates along the Earth's surface.

The correct answer to why the Aleutian Islands are moving is A: They are being pushed by a neighboring tectonic plate, which refers to the motion caused by the surrounding tectonic forces. This motion is part of larger geological processes that can lead to phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanic activity and is generally associated with the boundaries of tectonic plates, where they can diverge, converge, or transform relative to one another.