North American plate

The ground under us is a huge piece. It holds most of North America. It also holds Cuba and the Bahamas. This piece is the second largest on Earth.

Parts of the piece are land. Other parts are under the sea. Some parts are very old. These old parts are in the middle.

Small bits of land joined the main piece. This happened over a long time. This helped make the West.

Hot spots are under the ground. They can make volcanoes. They can also make the earth shake.

The big piece moves a tiny bit. It moves away from the ocean ridge. It moves about one inch each year.

The North American plate is a huge piece of the Earth. It is the second largest plate on our planet. It holds most of North America and Cuba. It also holds parts of Iceland and the Azores islands.

This plate has both land and ocean floor. The center of the land has a very old core. This core is called a craton. Small bits of crust called terranes joined the craton over time. Many of these parts are west of the Rocky Mountains.

The plate moves slowly. It moves southwest away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It moves about 2.3 centimeters every year. That is about one inch. The Pacific plate moves faster. It moves northwest at about 7 to 11 centimeters per year.

Some hot spots sit under the plate. These might be caused by a mantle plume. A mantle plume is a stream of hot rock from deep inside Earth. These spots can make volcanoes and earthquakes. The Yellowstone hotspot is a famous one. It is still active today.

The North American plate is a huge piece of the Earth's outer shell. It is the second largest tectonic plate on our planet. The Pacific plate is the only one that is larger. This plate holds most of North America and Cuba. It also includes the Bahamas and parts of Iceland. Even parts of extreme northeastern Asia are on this plate.

This plate is made of two different types of crust. It contains both continental crust and oceanic crust. The middle of the main landmass has a very old core. Scientists call this core a craton. Over a long time, small bits of crust called terranes joined the craton. Many of these terranes are found west of the Rocky Mountains.

Different plates meet at the edges of the North American plate. Some edges are called transform faults where plates slide past each other. For example, the San Andreas Fault runs through California. Other edges involve one plate sliding under another. This is called subduction. Since the Jurassic period, the Farallon plate has been subducting under this plate.

There are special hot spots located deep under the plate. These might be caused by a mantle plume. A mantle plume is a narrow stream of hot rock. It moves up from the boundary between the core and the mantle. The Yellowstone hotspot is a very famous example. It creates volcanoes and earthquakes in places like the Snake River Plain.

All these plates are always on the move. The North American plate moves southwest away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It moves about 2.3 centimeters every year. That is roughly the width of one inch. At the same time, the Pacific plate moves northwest. It moves much faster at 7 to 11 centimeters per year.

The North American plate is a massive tectonic plate. It is the second largest plate on Earth. Only the Pacific plate is larger than it. This plate contains most of North America and Cuba. It also includes the Bahamas and parts of Iceland and the Azores. Some parts of extreme northeastern Asia sit on this plate too. It is a vital part of our planet's surface.

This plate is made of both continental and oceanic crust. The center of the main landmass contains a large granitic core. This old core is known as a craton. Over a long time, pieces of crust called terranes joined this core. These terranes were added through tectonic actions. Much of the land west of the Rocky Mountains is made of these terranes.

The edges of the plate are very complex. To the south, the plate meets the Cocos and Caribbean plates. This boundary is a transform fault. A transform fault is where plates slide past one another. Examples include the Swan Islands Transform Fault and the Motagua Fault. Other boundaries involve microplates like the Gonâve microplate. The Puerto Rico Trench also marks a boundary near the Virgin Islands.

The western boundary is also very active. The San Andreas Fault runs through California. To the north, the Cascadia subduction zone exists. Subduction is when one plate slides under another. Since the Jurassic period, the Farallon plate has been subducting under the North American plate. Most of the Farallon plate is now gone. It has mostly slid beneath the western part of this plate. Now, the Pacific plate touches the North American plate at the San Andreas Fault.

There are also special areas called hotspots under the plate. These hotspots can cause volcanoes and earthquakes. One famous example is the Yellowstone hotspot in Wyoming. Another is the Anahim hotspot in British Columbia. Scientists think these might be caused by a mantle plume. A mantle plume is a narrow stream of hot material. It rises from the boundary between the Earth's core and mantle. The Yellowstone and Anahim hotspots have been active since the Miocene period.

The North American plate is always moving. It moves in a southwest direction. It moves away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The speed is about 2.3 centimeters per year. That is roughly one inch every year. Meanwhile, the Pacific plate moves much faster. It moves northwest at 7 to 11 centimeters per year. This is about three to four inches every year.

Scientists are still studying what drives this motion. Usually, subduction drives plate movement. However, almost no part of the North American plate is subducting. Only a small section near the Puerto Rico Trench is subducting. One study from 2007 suggests mantle convection might be the cause. This means currents in the mantle might be propelling the plate. Understanding these movements helps us learn about our changing world.