The chain of Hawaiian islands can be used to calculate the rate of movement of the Pacific plate over the last few million years. The island of Hawaii currently sits on the hot spot and is therefore 0 million years old. The island of Kauai used to sit on the hot spot; it is approximately 5.1 million years old and is now approximately 473 km away from the hot spot, to the northwest. Given these parameters, what is the average rate of motion of the Pacific plate in cm per year? (Remember to convert your units properly!)

A. 0.009 cm per year
B. 0.9 cm per year
C. 0.00009 cm per year
D. 9 cm per year

The average rate of motion of the Pacific plate, calculated from the movement of the island of Kauai over 5.1 million years, is approximately 9.27 cm/year. The closest given option is 'b' - 0.9 cm per year.

Explanation:

To calculate the average rate of motion of the Pacific plate, we use the distance travelled by the island of Kauai and the time it took for this movement. As it is stated, the island of Kauai is approximately 5.1 million years old and is now approximately 473 km away from the hot spot, that is, it has moved this distance in 5.1 million years.

To obtain the rate in cm/year, we first need to convert the distance from km to cm. As 1 km equals 100,000 cm, 473 km would be 47,300,000 cm. Therefore, the rate would be the distance (47,300,000 cm) divided by the time (5.1 million years). This results in approximately 9.27 cm/year. Therefore, the correct answer, closest to our calculation is option b, 0.9 cm per year.

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