The earth\'s crust is broken up into a series of more-or-less rigid plates that
ID: 1407573 • Letter: T
Question
The earth's crust is broken up into a series of more-or-less rigid plates that slide around due to motion of material in the mantle below. Although the speeds of these plates vary somewhat, they are typically about 5.20 cm/yr . Assume that this rate remains constant over time.
Los Angeles is presently 550 km south of San Francisco, but is on a plate moving northward relative to San Francisco. If the 5.20 cm/yr velocity continues, how many years will it take before Los Angeles has moved up to San Francisco?
Explanation / Answer
time = dist/speed
distance = 550 km = 550*10^5 cm
t = 550*10^5 cm / 5.20 cm/yr = 10576923.1 years
time = 10.5769231 million years
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