The North Galapagos microplate is a small tectonic plate off the west coast of South America north of the Galápagos 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.
North Galapagos microplate | |
---|---|
Type | Minor |
Movement1 | Counterclockwise 90 degrees |
Speed1 | undefined |
Features | Pacific Ocean |
1Relative to the African plate |
References
edit- ^ "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. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. 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]