Final answer:
The geographic center of a tectonic plate is the setting least likely to experience earthquakes. This is because earthquake activity is more common near plate boundaries, such as rift zones, subduction zones, and transform boundaries, whereas the centers of plates are relatively stable.
Step-by-step explanation:
The geological setting least likely to experience earthquakes would be D. the geographic center of a tectonic plate. Earthquake activity is primarily associated with the boundaries of tectonic plates where they interact, such as at rifts, subduction zones, transform plate boundaries, and continent-continent collision zones. At the geographic center of a tectonic plate, the rocks are more stable, and there is far less stress accumulation than at the edges where plates interact, making earthquakes significantly less common in these areas.
For instance, rift zones like the Mid-Atlantic ridge and the central African rift are regions where plates pull apart, leading to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Subduction zones, often found beneath oceans, are where new crust is formed and old crust is destroyed, related to a wide range of earthquake depths and significant seismic activity. Transform plate boundaries typically experience shallow earthquakes but no volcanism.
Meanwhile, interior regions of tectonic plates, which are distant from plate boundaries, are generally stable with infrequent seismic events. When they do occur, these intraplate earthquakes are usually less intense and less frequent than those near plate boundaries. Therefore, the geographic center of a tectonic plate is the correct answer to which location is least likely to experience earthquakes.