North Galapagos Microplate
Appearance
North Galapagos Microplate | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Type | Minor |
Movement1 | Counterclockwise |
Speed1 | ? |
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 Galapagos Islands.3°45′N 101°45′W / 3.75°N 101.75°W[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
- ^ "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. 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]