10.4 Plate, Plate Motions, and Plate Boundary Processes
Continental drift and sea-floor spreading became widely accepted around 1965 as more and more geologists started thinking in these terms. By the end of 1967 the Earth’s surface had been mapped into a series of plates (Figure 10.4.1). The major plates are Eurasia, Pacific, India, Australia, North America, South America, Africa, and Antarctic. There are also numerous small plates (e.g., Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Nazca, Scotia, Philippine, Caribbean), and many very small plates or sub-plates. For example the Juan de Fuca Plate is actually three separate plates (Gorda, Juan de Fuca, and Explorer) that all move in the same general direction but at slightly different rates.
What type of plate boundary is found between the African plate and the Arabian plate?
The actively splitting African Plate and the Arabian Plate meet in what geologists call a triple junction, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden. A new spreading center may be developing under Africa along the East African Rift Zone.
Answers & Comments
10.4 Plate, Plate Motions, and Plate Boundary Processes
Continental drift and sea-floor spreading became widely accepted around 1965 as more and more geologists started thinking in these terms. By the end of 1967 the Earth’s surface had been mapped into a series of plates (Figure 10.4.1). The major plates are Eurasia, Pacific, India, Australia, North America, South America, Africa, and Antarctic. There are also numerous small plates (e.g., Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Nazca, Scotia, Philippine, Caribbean), and many very small plates or sub-plates. For example the Juan de Fuca Plate is actually three separate plates (Gorda, Juan de Fuca, and Explorer) that all move in the same general direction but at slightly different rates.
Answer:
What type of plate boundary is found between the African plate and the Arabian plate?
The actively splitting African Plate and the Arabian Plate meet in what geologists call a triple junction, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden. A new spreading center may be developing under Africa along the East African Rift Zone.