Question

Which statement correctly describes the likely movement of the plates?

a) The North American Plate is moving west, and the Pacific Plate is moving east.
b) The North American Plate is moving east, and the Pacific Plate is moving west.
c) The North American Plate is moving south, and the Pacific Plate is moving north.
d) Both plates are moving north.

Answer 1

The correct movement of the tectonic plates is that the North American Plate is moving south and the Pacific Plate is moving north, as per option (c). This causes cities on different plates, like San Francisco and Los Angeles, to shift in their relative positions over time.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement that describes the likely movement of the plates is:The North Am "erican Plate is moving south, and the Pacific Plate is moving north". This corresponds to option (c) of the given choices. The San Andreas Fault is a transform boundary where the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate slide past each other. The Pacific Plate, lying west of the San Andreas Fault, is indeed moving northward. This movement carries Los Angeles and other parts of southern California northwards, in the direction of San Francisco. Over millions of years, this movement could significantly alter the geographic locations of these cities relative to each other.

Furthermore, as the Pacific Plate is moving northwards and the North American Plate is moving southwards, it alters the distances between locations such as San Francisco and Los Angeles over time. These cities are on different plates; San Francisco is on the North American Plate east of the fault, and Los Angeles is on the Pacific Plate west of the fault. This relative movement is at an average velocity of about 6 cm/y northwest, which determines the changing landscape of the region over geological timescales.

Answer 2

The Pacific Plate is moving northward relative to the North American Plate, meaning the correct answer is (a) with the North American Plate moving west and the Pacific Plate moving east along the San Andreas Fault. Los Angeles, on the Pacific Plate, is moving northwest, and the Pacific Plate's motion is measured at about 5 cm per year.

The correct option is a.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question you've asked pertains to the movement of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. Based on the provided information, the Pacific Plate is moving northward relative to the North American Plate which means that the correct answer to your question would be (a) The North American Plate is moving west, and the Pacific Plate is moving east.

This is evident from the motion along the San Andreas Fault, which is a transform boundary between these two plates, and the movement of cities like Los Angeles and San Diego that are being carried northward by the Pacific Plate.

Specifically, in the context of the West Coast tectonics, the San Andreas Fault has illustrated the relative movement of the two plates. Los Angeles, which is located on the Pacific Plate, is moving northwest, while San Francisco, located on the North American Plate, is not moving as swiftly in that direction due to the rotation of the plates around an Euler pole.

The relative motion of the plates indicates that the distance between San Francisco and Los Angeles is increasing over time. Furthermore, the speed of this motion is relatively slow, with the Pacific Plate moving at a rate of 5 cm per year relative to the North American Plate.

The correct option is a.