This week we are exploring plate tectonics and how the location
of each country is affected by its position respect to plate boundaries.
The USGS
map shows clearly how the Eastern US is a passive margin and the Western
side of the country is a very active one, with the Pacific Plate, Cocos, Juan
de Fuca plates connecting to the North American plate. Not a surprise that is part of the ‘Ring of Fire’, where a lot of the volcanic and seismic activity happens.
Of course, there are a few exceptions, like the activity of Hawaii (hot spot) or the New Madrid area (ancient rift), both not at plate boundaries.
In general, we might not know when events like volcanic eruptions or
big earthquakes will happen, but if you know your Tectonics, you definitely know
where the do!
All for now-
[http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/slabs.html]
