High School

Show all of your work to get credit for the following problems. Remember units!

1. The Pacific plate is 4.7 million years old. Kauai, an island of Hawaii formed by volcanic hotspot activity, is 540 km away from the hotspot.

- How many kilometers does Kauai move in one year?
- How many centimeters does it move in one year?

Answer :

Final answer:

Kauai moves approximately 0.000115 km or 11.49 cm each year due to the movement of the Pacific Plate. This calculation is based on the island's age of 4.7 million years and the distance to its hotspot formation. The annual movement can help understand the dynamics of plate tectonics.


Explanation:

Calculating Movement of Kauai

The question involves calculating how far the island of Kauai moves due to the motion of the Pacific Plate over a specified period. Kauai is located 540 km away from its formation location and is 4.7 million years old.

Step 1: Annual Movement Calculation

To find out how many kilometers Kauai moves in one year, we divide the total distance by the age of Kauai in years:

  1. Total distance = 540 km
  2. Age of Kauai = 4.7 million years = 4,700,000 years
  3. Movement per year = Total distance / Age
  4. Movement per year = 540 km / 4,700,000 years
  5. Movement per year = 0.00011489 km/year

Step 2: Convert to Centimeters

To find out how many centimeters Kauai moves in one year:

  1. 1 km = 100,000 cm
  2. Movement in cm/year = Movement in km/year × 100,000 cm/km
  3. Movement in cm/year = 0.00011489 km/year × 100,000 cm/km
  4. Movement in cm/year = 11.489 cm/year

Conclusion

Thus, Kauai moves approximately 0.000115 km or 11.49 cm each year due to the motion of the Pacific Plate.


Learn more about Movement Calculation here:

https://brainly.com/question/32429667


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