Earth:North Galapagos Microplate

From HandWiki
Short description: Tectonic plate off west South America
North Galapagos Microplate
The Galapagos Plate
TypeMinor
Movement1Counterclockwise 90 degrees
Speed1undefined
FeaturesPacific 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 / 3.75; -101.75[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

Bird, P. (2003) An updated digital model of plate boundaries, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 4(3), 1027, doi:10.1029/2001GC000252. [1]