CINXE.COM

<!doctype html> <html lang="en-US" class="no-js" itemtype="https://schema.org/Blog" itemscope> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, minimum-scale=1"> <meta name='robots' content='index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1'/> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]){contain-intrinsic-size:3000px 1500px}</style> <title>Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary - Earth How</title> <meta name="description" content="The Pacific Plate stretches all the way along the west coast of North America and reaches all the way to the east coast of the islands of Japan & Indonesia."/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary - Earth How"/> <meta property="og:description" content="The Pacific Plate stretches all the way along the west coast of North America and reaches all the way to the east coast of the islands of Japan & Indonesia."/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Earth How"/> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2018-10-19T13:35:23+00:00"/> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2023-09-27T11:42:00+00:00"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Pacific-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="678"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="509"/> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/png"/> <meta name="author" content="earthhow"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@earth_how"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@earth_how"/> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by"/> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="earthhow"/> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Est. reading time"/> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="3 minutes"/> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/"},"author":{"name":"earthhow","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/person/4b59317e5d3ba21e675de70a79725fe3"},"headline":"Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary","datePublished":"2018-10-19T13:35:23+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-27T11:42:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/"},"wordCount":430,"commentCount":12,"publisher":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Pacific-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","articleSection":["Geology","Plate Tectonics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/","url":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/","name":"Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary - Earth How","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Pacific-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","datePublished":"2018-10-19T13:35:23+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-27T11:42:00+00:00","description":"The Pacific Plate stretches all the way along the west coast of North America and reaches all the way to the east coast of the islands of Japan & Indonesia.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#primaryimage","url":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Pacific-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","contentUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Pacific-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","width":678,"height":509,"caption":"Pacific Plate Tectonics"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://earthhow.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Geology","item":"https://earthhow.com/category/geology/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Plate Tectonics","item":"https://earthhow.com/category/geology/plate-tectonics/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#website","url":"https://earthhow.com/","name":"Earth How","description":"Earth Explained","publisher":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://earthhow.com/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#organization","name":"Earth How","url":"https://earthhow.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EarthHowLogo.png","contentUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EarthHowLogo.png","width":460,"height":80,"caption":"Earth How"},"image":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/logo/image/"},"sameAs":["https://x.com/earth_how"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/person/4b59317e5d3ba21e675de70a79725fe3","name":"earthhow"}]}</script> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//scripts.mediavine.com'/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Earth How » Feed" href="https://earthhow.com/feed/"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Earth How » Comments Feed" href="https://earthhow.com/comments/feed/"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Earth How » Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary Comments Feed" href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/feed/"/> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/7ws98yux/445gh.css" media="all"/> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css'>.wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none}</style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css'>:root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square:1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3:4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4:3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2:3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3:2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9:16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16:9/16;--wp--preset--color--black:#000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray:#abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white:#ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink:#f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red:#cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange:#ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber:#fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan:#7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan:#00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue:#8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue:#0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple:#9b51e0;--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-1:var(--global-palette1);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-2:var(--global-palette2);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-3:var(--global-palette3);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-4:var(--global-palette4);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-5:var(--global-palette5);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-6:var(--global-palette6);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-7:var(--global-palette7);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-8:var(--global-palette8);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-9:var(--global-palette9);--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple:linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange:linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red:linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small:var(--global-font-size-small);--wp--preset--font-size--medium:var(--global-font-size-medium);--wp--preset--font-size--large:var(--global-font-size-large);--wp--preset--font-size--x-large:42px;--wp--preset--font-size--larger:var(--global-font-size-larger);--wp--preset--font-size--xxlarge:var(--global-font-size-xxlarge);--wp--preset--spacing--20:0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30:0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40:1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50:1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60:2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70:3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80:5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural:6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep:12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp:6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined:6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp:6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap:0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap:0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display:flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin:0;}body .is-layout-grid{display:grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin:0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap:2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap:2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap:1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap:1.25em;}.has-black-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap:1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap:1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap:2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap:2em;}:root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size:1.5em;line-height:1.6;}</style> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/9icsh380/445g5.css" media="all"/> <style id='kadence-global-inline-css'>:root{--global-palette1:#2a7fb8;--global-palette2:#206ca2;--global-palette3:#232323;--global-palette4:#000000;--global-palette5:#000000;--global-palette6:#515151;--global-palette7:#ffffff;--global-palette8:#ffffff;--global-palette9:#ffffff;--global-palette9rgb:255, 255, 255;--global-palette-highlight:var(--global-palette1);--global-palette-highlight-alt:#0f5583;--global-palette-highlight-alt2:var(--global-palette9);--global-palette-btn-bg:var(--global-palette1);--global-palette-btn-bg-hover:var(--global-palette2);--global-palette-btn:var(--global-palette9);--global-palette-btn-hover:var(--global-palette9);--global-body-font-family:Inter, sans-serif;--global-heading-font-family:inherit;--global-primary-nav-font-family:inherit;--global-fallback-font:sans-serif;--global-display-fallback-font:sans-serif;--global-content-width:1200px;--global-content-narrow-width:850px;--global-content-edge-padding:1.5rem;--global-content-boxed-padding:2rem;--global-calc-content-width:calc(1200px - var(--global-content-edge-padding) - var(--global-content-edge-padding) );--wp--style--global--content-size:var(--global-calc-content-width);}.wp-site-blocks{--global-vw:calc( 100vw - ( 0.5 * var(--scrollbar-offset)));}body{background:#f7fafc;}body, input, select, optgroup, textarea{font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:18px;line-height:1.6;font-family:var(--global-body-font-family);color:var(--global-palette4);}.content-bg, body.content-style-unboxed .site{background:var(--global-palette9);}h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{font-family:var(--global-heading-font-family);}h1{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;font-size:28px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}h2{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;font-size:28px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}h3{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;font-size:26px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}h4{font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-size:24px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette4);}h5{font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-size:22px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette4);}h6{font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-size:20px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette5);}.entry-hero h1{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;color:#ffffff;}.entry-hero .kadence-breadcrumbs, .entry-hero .search-form{font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;color:var(--global-palette3);}.entry-hero .kadence-breadcrumbs{max-width:1200px;}.site-container, .site-header-row-layout-contained, .site-footer-row-layout-contained, .entry-hero-layout-contained, .comments-area, .alignfull > .wp-block-cover__inner-container, .alignwide > .wp-block-cover__inner-container{max-width:var(--global-content-width);}.content-width-narrow .content-container.site-container, .content-width-narrow .hero-container.site-container{max-width:var(--global-content-narrow-width);}@media all and (min-width: 1430px){.wp-site-blocks .content-container .alignwide{margin-left:-115px;margin-right:-115px;width:unset;max-width:unset;}}@media all and (min-width: 1110px){.content-width-narrow .wp-site-blocks .content-container .alignwide{margin-left:-130px;margin-right:-130px;width:unset;max-width:unset;}}.content-style-boxed .wp-site-blocks .entry-content .alignwide{margin-left:calc( -1 * var( --global-content-boxed-padding ) );margin-right:calc( -1 * var( --global-content-boxed-padding ) );}.content-area{margin-top:2rem;margin-bottom:2rem;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.content-area{margin-top:3rem;margin-bottom:3rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.content-area{margin-top:2rem;margin-bottom:2rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){:root{--global-content-boxed-padding:2.5rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){:root{--global-content-boxed-padding:1.5rem;}}.entry-content-wrap{padding:2rem;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.entry-content-wrap{padding:2.5rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.entry-content-wrap{padding:1.5rem;}}.entry.single-entry{box-shadow:0px 15px 15px -10px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;}.entry.loop-entry{box-shadow:0px 15px 15px -10px rgba(0,0,0,0);}.loop-entry .entry-content-wrap{padding:2rem;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.loop-entry .entry-content-wrap{padding:2rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.loop-entry .entry-content-wrap{padding:1.5rem;}}.has-sidebar:not(.has-left-sidebar) .content-container{grid-template-columns:1fr 300px;}.has-sidebar.has-left-sidebar .content-container{grid-template-columns:300px 1fr;}.primary-sidebar.widget-area .widget{margin-bottom:1.5em;color:var(--global-palette4);}.primary-sidebar.widget-area .widget-title{font-weight:700;font-size:20px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}button, .button, .wp-block-button__link, input[type="button"], input[type="reset"], input[type="submit"], .fl-button, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button, .wc-block-components-checkout-place-order-button, .wc-block-cart__submit{border-radius:25px;box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px -7px rgba(0,0,0,0);}button:hover, button:focus, button:active, .button:hover, .button:focus, .button:active, .wp-block-button__link:hover, .wp-block-button__link:focus, .wp-block-button__link:active, input[type="button"]:hover, input[type="button"]:focus, input[type="button"]:active, input[type="reset"]:hover, input[type="reset"]:focus, input[type="reset"]:active, input[type="submit"]:hover, input[type="submit"]:focus, input[type="submit"]:active, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button:hover, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button:focus, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button:active, .wc-block-cart__submit:hover{box-shadow:0px 15px 25px -7px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);}.kb-button.kb-btn-global-outline.kb-btn-global-inherit{padding-top:calc(px - 2px);padding-right:calc(px - 2px);padding-bottom:calc(px - 2px);padding-left:calc(px - 2px);}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){button, .button, .wp-block-button__link, input[type="button"], input[type="reset"], input[type="submit"], .fl-button, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button, .wc-block-components-checkout-place-order-button, .wc-block-cart__submit{border-radius:25px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){button, .button, .wp-block-button__link, input[type="button"], input[type="reset"], input[type="submit"], .fl-button, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button, .wc-block-components-checkout-place-order-button, .wc-block-cart__submit{border-radius:25px;}}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.transparent-header .entry-hero .entry-hero-container-inner{padding-top:70px;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.mobile-transparent-header .entry-hero .entry-hero-container-inner{padding-top:70px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.mobile-transparent-header .entry-hero .entry-hero-container-inner{padding-top:70px;}}.entry-author-style-center{padding-top:var(--global-md-spacing);border-top:1px solid var(--global-gray-500);}.entry-author-style-center .entry-author-avatar, .entry-meta .author-avatar{display:none;}.entry-author-style-normal .entry-author-profile{padding-left:0px;}#comments .comment-meta{margin-left:0px;}body.single .entry-related{background:#f7f7f7;}.wp-site-blocks .entry-related h2.entry-related-title{font-style:normal;color:var(--global-palette3);}.wp-site-blocks .post-title h1{font-style:normal;font-size:36px;color:var(--global-palette3);}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.wp-site-blocks .post-title h1{font-size:38px;line-height:1.4;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-site-blocks .post-title h1{font-size:34px;}}.post-title .entry-taxonomies, .post-title .entry-taxonomies a{color:var(--global-palette1);}.post-title .entry-taxonomies a:hover{color:var(--global-palette2);}.post-title .entry-taxonomies .category-style-pill a{background:var(--global-palette1);}.post-title .entry-taxonomies .category-style-pill a:hover{background:var(--global-palette2);}.post-title .entry-meta{color:var(--global-palette3);}.post-title .entry-meta a:hover{color:var(--global-palette3);}.post-title .kadence-breadcrumbs{font-style:normal;font-size:14px;color:var(--global-palette3);}.post-title .kadence-breadcrumbs a:hover{color:var(--global-palette4);}.entry-hero.post-hero-section .entry-header{min-height:200px;}.post-hero-section .hero-section-overlay{background:var(--global-palette9);}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.entry-hero.post-hero-section .entry-header{min-height:300px;}}.loop-entry.type-post h2.entry-title{font-style:normal;font-size:22px;color:var(--global-palette4);} @media all and (max-width: 1024px){.mobile-transparent-header #masthead{position:absolute;left:0px;right:0px;z-index:100;}.kadence-scrollbar-fixer.mobile-transparent-header #masthead{right:var(--scrollbar-offset,0);}.mobile-transparent-header #masthead, .mobile-transparent-header .site-top-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .mobile-transparent-header .site-main-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .mobile-transparent-header .site-bottom-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner{background:transparent;}.site-header-row-tablet-layout-fullwidth, .site-header-row-tablet-layout-standard{padding:0px;}}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.transparent-header #masthead{position:absolute;left:0px;right:0px;z-index:100;}.transparent-header.kadence-scrollbar-fixer #masthead{right:var(--scrollbar-offset,0);}.transparent-header #masthead, .transparent-header .site-top-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .transparent-header .site-main-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .transparent-header .site-bottom-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner{background:transparent;}}.site-branding a.brand img{max-width:220px;}.site-branding a.brand img.svg-logo-image{width:220px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.site-branding a.brand img{max-width:220px;}.site-branding a.brand img.svg-logo-image{width:220px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.site-branding a.brand img{max-width:215px;}.site-branding a.brand img.svg-logo-image{width:215px;}}.site-branding{padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.site-branding .site-title{font-size:24px;letter-spacing:-0.05em;}}#masthead, #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start):not(.site-header-row-container):not(.site-main-header-wrap), #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start) > .site-header-row-container-inner{background:#ffffff;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#masthead, #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start):not(.site-header-row-container):not(.site-main-header-wrap), #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start) > .site-header-row-container-inner{background:#ffffff;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#masthead, #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start):not(.site-header-row-container):not(.site-main-header-wrap), #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start) > .site-header-row-container-inner{background:#ffffff;}}.site-main-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner{background:var(--global-palette9);border-top:0px none transparent;border-bottom:1px solid #b9b9b9;}.site-main-header-inner-wrap{min-height:70px;}.header-navigation[class*="header-navigation-style-underline"] .header-menu-container.primary-menu-container>ul>li>a:after{width:calc( 100% - 1.5em);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item > a{padding-left:calc(1.5em / 2);padding-right:calc(1.5em / 2);padding-top:0.6em;padding-bottom:0.6em;color:var(--global-palette3);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item .dropdown-nav-special-toggle{right:calc(1.5em / 2);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul li.menu-item > a{font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:18px;}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item > a:hover{color:var(--global-palette4);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item.current-menu-item > a{color:var(--global-palette4);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul.sub-menu, .header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul.submenu{background:#ffffff;box-shadow:0px 2px 13px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item, .header-menu-container ul.menu > li.kadence-menu-mega-enabled > ul > li.menu-item > a{border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.1);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item > a{width:200px;padding-top:1em;padding-bottom:1em;color:var(--global-palette3);font-style:normal;font-size:16px;}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item > a:hover{color:#ffffff;background:var(--global-palette1);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item.current-menu-item > a{color:var(--global-palette9);background:var(--global-palette1);}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open, .mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open:focus{color:var(--global-palette3);padding:0.5em 0.6em 0.5em 0.6em;font-size:14px;}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open.menu-toggle-style-bordered{border:1px solid currentColor;}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open .menu-toggle-icon{font-size:18px;}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open:hover, .mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open:focus-visible{color:var(--global-palette3);}.mobile-navigation ul li{font-size:14px;}.mobile-navigation ul li a{padding-top:0.5em;padding-bottom:0.5em;}.mobile-navigation ul li > a, .mobile-navigation ul li.menu-item-has-children > .drawer-nav-drop-wrap{color:var(--global-palette8);}.mobile-navigation ul li > a:hover, .mobile-navigation ul li.menu-item-has-children > .drawer-nav-drop-wrap:hover{color:var(--global-palette9);}.mobile-navigation ul li.current-menu-item > a, .mobile-navigation ul li.current-menu-item.menu-item-has-children > .drawer-nav-drop-wrap{color:#e8e8e8;}.mobile-navigation ul li.menu-item-has-children .drawer-nav-drop-wrap, .mobile-navigation ul li:not(.menu-item-has-children) a{border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.1);}.mobile-navigation:not(.drawer-navigation-parent-toggle-true) ul li.menu-item-has-children .drawer-nav-drop-wrap button{border-left:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.1);}#mobile-drawer .drawer-inner, #mobile-drawer.popup-drawer-layout-fullwidth.popup-drawer-animation-slice .pop-portion-bg, #mobile-drawer.popup-drawer-layout-fullwidth.popup-drawer-animation-slice.pop-animated.show-drawer .drawer-inner{background:var(--global-palette3);}#mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle{padding:0.6em 0.15em 0.6em 0.15em;font-size:24px;}#mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle, #mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle:focus{color:var(--global-palette9);}#mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle:hover, #mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle:focus:hover{color:var(--global-palette9);}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open{color:var(--global-palette3);}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open.search-toggle-style-bordered{border:1px solid currentColor;}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open .search-toggle-icon{font-size:1em;}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open:hover, .search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open:focus{color:var(--global-palette3);}#search-drawer .drawer-inner .drawer-content form input.search-field, #search-drawer .drawer-inner .drawer-content form .kadence-search-icon-wrap, #search-drawer .drawer-header{color:var(--global-palette9);}#search-drawer .drawer-inner{background:rgba(9, 12, 16, 0.97);} #colophon{background:var(--global-palette3);}.site-middle-footer-wrap .site-footer-row-container-inner{background:rgba(255,255,255,0);}.site-middle-footer-inner-wrap{padding-top:30px;padding-bottom:30px;grid-column-gap:30px;grid-row-gap:30px;}.site-middle-footer-inner-wrap .widget{margin-bottom:30px;}.site-middle-footer-inner-wrap .site-footer-section:not(:last-child):after{right:calc(-30px / 2);}.site-top-footer-wrap .site-footer-row-container-inner{font-style:normal;color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-footer .site-top-footer-wrap a:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button){color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-footer .site-top-footer-wrap a:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button):hover{color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap{padding-top:30px;padding-bottom:30px;grid-column-gap:30px;grid-row-gap:30px;}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap .widget{margin-bottom:30px;}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap .widget-area .widget-title{font-style:normal;color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap .site-footer-section:not(:last-child):after{right:calc(-30px / 2);}.site-bottom-footer-wrap .site-footer-row-container-inner{background:var(--global-palette3);font-style:normal;font-size:14px;color:var(--global-palette7);}.site-footer .site-bottom-footer-wrap a:where(:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button)){color:var(--global-palette7);}.site-footer .site-bottom-footer-wrap a:where(:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button)):hover{color:var(--global-palette9);}.site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap{padding-top:15px;padding-bottom:15px;grid-column-gap:30px;}.site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap .widget{margin-bottom:30px;}.site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap .site-footer-section:not(:last-child):after{right:calc(-30px / 2);}#colophon .footer-html{font-style:normal;font-weight:600;color:var(--global-palette8);margin:0.6em 0em 0.6em 0em;}#colophon .site-footer-row-container .site-footer-row .footer-html a{color:var(--global-palette8);}#colophon .site-footer-row-container .site-footer-row .footer-html a:hover{color:var(--global-palette8);}#colophon .footer-navigation .footer-menu-container > ul > li > a{padding-left:calc(1.2em / 2);padding-right:calc(1.2em / 2);padding-top:calc(1em / 2);padding-bottom:calc(1em / 2);color:var(--global-palette9);}#colophon .footer-navigation .footer-menu-container > ul li a:hover{color:var(--global-palette-highlight);}#colophon .footer-navigation .footer-menu-container > ul li.current-menu-item > a{color:var(--global-palette9);}</style> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/lm7cgwdj/a3vqr.css" media="all"/> <style id='kadence-blocks-global-variables-inline-css'>:root{--global-kb-font-size-sm:clamp(0.8rem, 0.73rem + 0.217vw, 0.9rem);--global-kb-font-size-md:clamp(1.1rem, 0.995rem + 0.326vw, 1.25rem);--global-kb-font-size-lg:clamp(1.75rem, 1.576rem + 0.543vw, 2rem);--global-kb-font-size-xl:clamp(2.25rem, 1.728rem + 1.63vw, 3rem);--global-kb-font-size-xxl:clamp(2.5rem, 1.456rem + 3.26vw, 4rem);--global-kb-font-size-xxxl:clamp(2.75rem, 0.489rem + 7.065vw, 6rem);}</style> <style id='kadence_blocks_css-inline-css'>.kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:25px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f{text-align:center;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f, .kt-inside-inner-col > .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f:not(.specificity){margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .entry.loop-entry .entry-header .entry-title{font-size:18px;line-height:20px;}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .loop-entry{background:transparent;box-shadow:none;}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .loop-entry > .entry-content-wrap{padding:0px;}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .loop-entry .post-thumbnail{margin-bottom:1em;}.kb-row-layout-id18750_53f941-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:25px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id18750_53f941-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1{text-align:center;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1, .kt-inside-inner-col > .kadence-column18750_83b326-a1:not(.specificity){margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}</style> <style id='kadence_blocks_pro_css-inline-css'>.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kadence-post-image{padding-top:0px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-feat-image-align-left{grid-template-columns:40% auto;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-post-grid-wrap{gap:10px 30px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item{border-top-color:currentColor;border-top-style:solid;border-right-color:currentColor;border-right-style:solid;border-bottom-color:currentColor;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-color:currentColor;border-left-style:solid;overflow:hidden;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item .kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner{text-align:left;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item header{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:0px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item .kt-blocks-above-categories{font-size:13px;line-height:20px;text-transform:uppercase;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item .entry-title{padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;font-size:18px;line-height:20px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .entry-content{font-size:14px;line-height:24px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-footer{font-size:12px;line-height:20px;text-transform:uppercase;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item{border-top-color:currentColor;border-top-style:solid;border-right-color:currentColor;border-right-style:solid;border-bottom-color:currentColor;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-color:currentColor;border-left-style:solid;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item{border-top-color:currentColor;border-top-style:solid;border-right-color:currentColor;border-right-style:solid;border-bottom-color:currentColor;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-color:currentColor;border-left-style:solid;}}</style> <style id="kadence_blocks_palette_css">:root .has-kb-palette-1-color{color:#888888}:root .has-kb-palette-1-background-color{background-color:#888888}</style><script async="async" data-noptimize="1" data-cfasync="false" src="https://scripts.mediavine.com/tags/earth-how.js?ver=6.7.2" id="mv-script-wrapper-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/"/><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/3430"/><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://earthhow.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd"/> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.7.2"/> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://earthhow.com/?p=3430'/> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fearthhow.com%2Fpacific-plate%2F"/> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fearthhow.com%2Fpacific-plate%2F&format=xml"/> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-7J2VZZEQZM"></script> <script>window.dataLayer=window.dataLayer||[]; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-7J2VZZEQZM');</script> <link rel="icon" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-32x32.jpg" sizes="32x32"/> <link rel="icon" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-192x192.jpg" sizes="192x192"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-180x180.jpg"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-270x270.jpg"/> <style id="wp-custom-css">*{font-family:Inter, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", sans-serif} .tnp-subscription-minimal input.tnp-submit{background-color:#00a87a;} .newsletter1{background-color:#2a7fb8;padding:20px;border-radius:5px;margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:40px;text-align:center;border:1px solid #dddddd;} @media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.entry-content .alignright { float:none; display:block; padding:0px; margin:0px;}} @media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.entry-content .alignleft {float:none; display:block; }} .wp-block-kadence-posts{row-gap:5px;} @media only screen and (max-width: 359px) { .content-container.site-container { padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; }}</style> </head> <body data-rsssl=1 class="post-template-default single single-post postid-3430 single-format-standard wp-custom-logo wp-embed-responsive footer-on-bottom hide-focus-outline link-style-standard has-sidebar content-title-style-normal content-width-normal content-style-boxed content-vertical-padding-show non-transparent-header mobile-non-transparent-header"> <div id="wrapper" class="site wp-site-blocks"> <a class="skip-link screen-reader-text scroll-ignore" href="#main">Skip to content</a> <header id="masthead" class="site-header" role="banner" itemtype="https://schema.org/WPHeader" itemscope> <div id="main-header" class="site-header-wrap"> <div class="site-header-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-main-header-wrap site-header-row-container site-header-focus-item site-header-row-layout-standard" data-section="kadence_customizer_header_main"> <div class="site-header-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-main-header-inner-wrap site-header-row site-header-row-has-sides site-header-row-no-center"> <div class="site-header-main-section-left site-header-section site-header-section-left"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="title_tagline"> <div class="site-branding branding-layout-standard site-brand-logo-only"><a class="brand has-logo-image" href="https://earthhow.com/" rel="home"><img width="539" height="65" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png" class="custom-logo" alt="EarthHow Logo" decoding="async" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png 539w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-300x36.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-425x51.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-140x17.png 140w" sizes="(max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="site-header-main-section-right site-header-section site-header-section-right"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item site-header-item-main-navigation header-navigation-layout-stretch-false header-navigation-layout-fill-stretch-false" data-section="kadence_customizer_primary_navigation"> <nav id="site-navigation" class="main-navigation header-navigation nav--toggle-sub header-navigation-style-standard header-navigation-dropdown-animation-none" role="navigation" aria-label="Primary Navigation"> <div class="primary-menu-container header-menu-container"> <ul id="primary-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-17132" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17132"><a href="https://earthhow.com/atmosphere/">Atmosphere</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17131" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17131"><a href="https://earthhow.com/biology/">Biology</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17130" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17130"><a href="https://earthhow.com/career/">Career</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17129" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17129"><a href="https://earthhow.com/geology/">Geology</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17128" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17128"><a href="https://earthhow.com/space/">Space</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17127" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17127"><a href="https://earthhow.com/water/">Water</a></li> </ul></div></nav></div><div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="kadence_customizer_header_search"> <div class="search-toggle-open-container"> <button class="search-toggle-open drawer-toggle search-toggle-style-default" aria-label="View Search Form" data-toggle-target="#search-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-full" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus="#search-drawer .search-field" > <span class="search-toggle-icon"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-search-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="26" height="28" viewBox="0 0 26 28"><title>Search</title><path d="M18 13c0-3.859-3.141-7-7-7s-7 3.141-7 7 3.141 7 7 7 7-3.141 7-7zM26 26c0 1.094-0.906 2-2 2-0.531 0-1.047-0.219-1.406-0.594l-5.359-5.344c-1.828 1.266-4.016 1.937-6.234 1.937-6.078 0-11-4.922-11-11s4.922-11 11-11 11 4.922 11 11c0 2.219-0.672 4.406-1.937 6.234l5.359 5.359c0.359 0.359 0.578 0.875 0.578 1.406z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="mobile-header" class="site-mobile-header-wrap"> <div class="site-header-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-main-header-wrap site-header-focus-item site-header-row-layout-standard site-header-row-tablet-layout-default site-header-row-mobile-layout-default"> <div class="site-header-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-main-header-inner-wrap site-header-row site-header-row-has-sides site-header-row-center-column"> <div class="site-header-main-section-left site-header-section site-header-section-left"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item site-header-item-navgation-popup-toggle" data-section="kadence_customizer_mobile_trigger"> <div class="mobile-toggle-open-container"> <button id="mobile-toggle" class="menu-toggle-open drawer-toggle menu-toggle-style-default" aria-label="Open menu" data-toggle-target="#mobile-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-left" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus=".menu-toggle-close" > <span class="menu-toggle-icon"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-menu-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><title>Toggle Menu</title><path d="M3 13h18c0.552 0 1-0.448 1-1s-0.448-1-1-1h-18c-0.552 0-1 0.448-1 1s0.448 1 1 1zM3 7h18c0.552 0 1-0.448 1-1s-0.448-1-1-1h-18c-0.552 0-1 0.448-1 1s0.448 1 1 1zM3 19h18c0.552 0 1-0.448 1-1s-0.448-1-1-1h-18c-0.552 0-1 0.448-1 1s0.448 1 1 1z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div><div class="site-header-main-section-center site-header-section site-header-section-center"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="title_tagline"> <div class="site-branding mobile-site-branding branding-layout-standard branding-tablet-layout-standard site-brand-logo-only branding-mobile-layout-standard site-brand-logo-only"><a class="brand has-logo-image" href="https://earthhow.com/" rel="home"><img width="539" height="65" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png" class="custom-logo" alt="EarthHow Logo" decoding="async" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png 539w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-300x36.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-425x51.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-140x17.png 140w" sizes="(max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="site-header-main-section-right site-header-section site-header-section-right"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="kadence_customizer_header_search"> <div class="search-toggle-open-container"> <button class="search-toggle-open drawer-toggle search-toggle-style-default" aria-label="View Search Form" data-toggle-target="#search-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-full" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus="#search-drawer .search-field" > <span class="search-toggle-icon"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-search-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="26" height="28" viewBox="0 0 26 28"><title>Search</title><path d="M18 13c0-3.859-3.141-7-7-7s-7 3.141-7 7 3.141 7 7 7 7-3.141 7-7zM26 26c0 1.094-0.906 2-2 2-0.531 0-1.047-0.219-1.406-0.594l-5.359-5.344c-1.828 1.266-4.016 1.937-6.234 1.937-6.078 0-11-4.922-11-11s4.922-11 11-11 11 4.922 11 11c0 2.219-0.672 4.406-1.937 6.234l5.359 5.359c0.359 0.359 0.578 0.875 0.578 1.406z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></header> <div id="inner-wrap" class="wrap kt-clear"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <div class="content-container site-container"> <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> <div class="content-wrap"> <article id="post-3430" class="entry content-bg single-entry post-3430 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics mv-content-wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header post-title title-align-center title-tablet-align-center title-mobile-align-inherit"> <div class="kadence-breadcrumbs yoast-bc-wrap"><span><span><a href="https://earthhow.com/">Home</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/">Geology</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/plate-tectonics/">Plate Tectonics</a></span> 禄 <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary</span></span></div><h1 class="entry-title">Pacific Plate: Movement and Direction of the Pacific Tectonic Boundary</h1><div class="entry-meta entry-meta-divider-customicon"> <div class="meta-comments"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-comments-alt-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 28 28"><title>Comments</title><path d="M10 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM16 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM22 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM14 6c-6.5 0-12 3.656-12 8 0 2.328 1.563 4.547 4.266 6.078l1.359 0.781-0.422 1.5c-0.297 1.109-0.688 1.969-1.094 2.688 1.578-0.656 3.016-1.547 4.297-2.672l0.672-0.594 0.891 0.094c0.672 0.078 1.359 0.125 2.031 0.125 6.5 0 12-3.656 12-8s-5.5-8-12-8zM28 14c0 5.531-6.266 10-14 10-0.766 0-1.531-0.047-2.266-0.125-2.047 1.813-4.484 3.094-7.187 3.781-0.562 0.156-1.172 0.266-1.781 0.344h-0.078c-0.313 0-0.594-0.25-0.672-0.594v-0.016c-0.078-0.391 0.187-0.625 0.422-0.906 0.984-1.109 2.109-2.047 2.844-4.656-3.219-1.828-5.281-4.656-5.281-7.828 0-5.516 6.266-10 14-10v0c7.734 0 14 4.484 14 10z"></path> </svg></span><a class="meta-comments-link anchor-scroll" href="#comments">12 Comments</a></div></div></header> <div class="entry-content single-content"> <figure class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="678" height="378" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Pacific-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-678x378.png" alt="Pacific Plate Tectonics" class="wp-image-3423"/></figure> <div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p>“If you lived in Hawaii, you’d be situated smack dab in the middle of the Pacific major plate.”</p> </blockquote> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/> <div style="height:10px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div><p>The Pacific Plate is the largest of the <a href="https://earthhow.com/7-major-tectonic-plates/">7 major tectonic boundaries</a>. With a size of 102,900,000 km<sup>2</sup>, it more than doubles the size of the <a href="https://earthhow.com/south-american-plate/">South American Plate</a>.</p> <p>Plate tectonics are odd because they often consist of <a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-crust-oceanic-crust-continental-crust/">oceanic and continental crust</a>. For example, the Pacific Plate underlies the Pacific Ocean with the Hawaiian Islands positioned smack dab in the middle.</p> <p>The Pacific Plate stretches all the way along the west coast of North America up to Alaska. At the western edge, it reaches all the way to the east coast of the islands of Japan and Indonesia.</p> <p>This plate forms a large portion of the <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-ring-of-fire-volcanoes/">Pacific Ring of Fire</a>. This horse-shoe-looking pattern of plate tectonics has some of the most catastrophic earthquakes and volcanoes on Earth.</p> <p>On average, the Pacific Plate moves at a rate of 5 to 10 centimeters per year. However, the Pacific Plate, Cocos Plate, Nazca Plate, and Antarctic Plate move more than 10 centimeters which is the fastest movement rate of all plate tectonics.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Pacific Plate Tectonic Boundary Types</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><img decoding="async" width="290" height="300" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Convergent-Divergent-Transform-Plate-Types-0-290x300.png" alt="Convergent Divergent Transform Plate Types" class="wp-image-2021" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Convergent-Divergent-Transform-Plate-Types-0-290x300.png 290w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Convergent-Divergent-Transform-Plate-Types-0.png 407w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px"/></figure></div><p>The Pacific Plate contains all the <a href="https://earthhow.com/plate-tectonics-types-divergent-convergent-transform-plates/">plate tectonic boundary types</a> along its boundary. In other words, it shares convergent, divergent, and transform borders with other plates.</p> <p>The southern edge is a <a href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">divergent plate boundary</a> with the <a href="https://earthhow.com/antarctic-plate/">Antarctic Plate</a>. As these two plates pull apart from each other, they form new oceanic crust.</p> <p>As already mentioned, the Pacific Ring of Fire has the most active chains of volcanoes in the world. This is because tectonic plates collide and sink at these zones of subduction (<a href="https://earthhow.com/convergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">convergent plate boundaries</a>).</p> <p>Lastly, the San Andreas fault is between the <a href="https://earthhow.com/north-american-plate/">North American Plate</a> and the Pacific Plate are <a href="https://earthhow.com/transform-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">transform plate boundaries</a>. While the North American plate in the east moves in the southwest direction, the Pacific plate in the west moves northwest.</p> <p>The Hawaiian Islands are positioned at the center of the Pacific Plate. But it’s an interior hot spot within the Pacific Plate that is responsible for the volcanic activity that occurs here.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Pacific Plate Tectonic Boundary</h3> <p>The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. The plate has the largest area of any tectonic plate.</p> <p>The seafloor of this oceanic tectonic plate is usually marked by a deep trench, which is caused by subduction zones or divergent boundaries with other plates.</p> <p>If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment form below to let us know what your concerns are.</p></div></div><div class="newsletter1"><span style="color:#FFFFFF">Subscribe to our newsletter:</span> <div class="tnp tnp-subscription-minimal"><form action="https://earthhow.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=tnp&na=s" method="post" style="text-align: center"><input type="hidden" name="nr" value="minimal"> <input type="hidden" name="nlang" value=""> <input class="tnp-email" type="email" required name="ne" value="" placeholder="Email"><input class="tnp-submit" type="submit" value="Subscribe" style=""> </form></div></div><div class="kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout"><div class="kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top"> <div class="wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f kvs-sm-false kb-section-dir-horizontal"><div class="kt-inside-inner-col"><div class="wp-block-kadence-posts kb-posts kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 content-wrap grid-cols kb-posts-style-unboxed grid-sm-col-2 grid-lg-col-3 item-image-style-above"><article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-2524 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-milestone-events mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/coal-formation/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img loading="lazy" width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Carboniferous Coal Deposits" decoding="async" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Carboniferous-Coal-Deposits-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/coal-formation/" rel="bookmark">Coal Formation: How Coal Forms</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-1165 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-milestone-events mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/vaalbara-first-supercontinent/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Vaalbara First Continent" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/vaalbara-first-supercontinent/" rel="bookmark">Is Vaalbara Earth’s First Supercontinent?</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-9268 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-volcanoes mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/lahar/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lahar-Feature-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Lahar" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lahar-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lahar-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lahar-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lahar-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lahar-Feature.png 678w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/lahar/" rel="bookmark">Lahar: Flowing Mud at Volcanoes</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-2448 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-volcanoes mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/igneous-rocks/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="igneous rocks" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Igneous-Rocks-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/igneous-rocks/" rel="bookmark">How Volcanoes Form Igneous Rocks</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-3415 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/north-american-plate/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="North American Plate Tectonics" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/North-American-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/north-american-plate/" rel="bookmark">North American Plate: Tectonic Boundary Map and Movements</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-1193 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-weathering-erosion-and-soils mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/mechanical-weathering/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Mechanical Weathering" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mechanical-Weathering-1-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/mechanical-weathering/" rel="bookmark">3 Mechanical Weathering Processes that Break Down Rocks</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article></div></div></div></div></div><div class="kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18750_53f941-1d alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout"><div class="kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top"> <div class="wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 kvs-lg-false kvs-md-false kb-section-dir-vertical"><div class="kt-inside-inner-col"><div class="wp-block-kadence-postgrid kt-blocks-post-loop-block alignnone kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 kt-post-grid-layout-grid"><div class="kt-post-grid-layout-grid-wrap kt-post-grid-wrap" data-columns-xxl="2" data-columns-xl="2" data-columns-md="2" data-columns-sm="2" data-columns-xs="1" data-columns-ss="1"data-item-selector=".kt-post-masonry-item"><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-3438 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/antarctic-plate/" aria-label="Read More Antarctic Plate: The Drifting Continent of Antarctica" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Antarctic Plate Tectonics" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/antarctic-plate/">Antarctic Plate: The Drifting Continent of Antarctica</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-810 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/continental-drift-plate-tectonics/" aria-label="Read More Continental Drift: A Tale of Moving Continents and Plate Tectonics" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Continental Drift" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Continental-Drift-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/continental-drift-plate-tectonics/">Continental Drift: A Tale of Moving Continents and Plate Tectonics</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-2464 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-rock-and-minerals tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/sedimentary-rocks/" aria-label="Read More How Do Sedimentary Rocks Form?" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Sedimentary Rocks" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sedimentary-Rocks-0-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/sedimentary-rocks/">How Do Sedimentary Rocks Form?</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-9171 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-volcanoes tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/types-of-volcanoes/" aria-label="Read More 3 Types of Volcanoes: Stratovolcano, Shield and Cinder Cone" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/types-of-volcanoes-0-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="types of volcanoes" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/types-of-volcanoes-0-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/types-of-volcanoes-0-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/types-of-volcanoes-0-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/types-of-volcanoes-0-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/types-of-volcanoes-0.png 678w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/types-of-volcanoes/">3 Types of Volcanoes: Stratovolcano, Shield and Cinder Cone</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-201 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-milestone-events mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/pangea-fossils-evidence/" aria-label="Read More Pangea Fossils: Evidence of the Pangaea Supercontinent" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Fossil Evidence" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fossil-Evidence-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/pangea-fossils-evidence/">Pangea Fossils: Evidence of the Pangaea Supercontinent</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-9150 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-volcanoes tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/parts-of-a-volcano/" aria-label="Read More 13 Parts of a Volcano: The Anatomy of Volcanoes" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Parts-of-a-Volcano-Feature-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Parts of a Volcano" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Parts-of-a-Volcano-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Parts-of-a-Volcano-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Parts-of-a-Volcano-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Parts-of-a-Volcano-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Parts-of-a-Volcano-Feature.png 678w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/parts-of-a-volcano/">13 Parts of a Volcano: The Anatomy of Volcanoes</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-42 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geologic-timeline category-geology mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-geological-time-scale/" aria-label="Read More What is Earth’s Geological Time Scale?" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Earth Geological Time Scale" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-geological-time-scale/">What is Earth’s Geological Time Scale?</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-265 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-inside-earth tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-crust-oceanic-crust-continental-crust/" aria-label="Read More Earth Crust: Oceanic Crust vs Continental Crust" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="earth crust continental oceanic" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-267x200.png 267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-crust-oceanic-crust-continental-crust/">Earth Crust: Oceanic Crust vs Continental Crust</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></article> <div id="comments" class="comments-area"> <h2 class="comments-title">12 Comments</h2> <ol class="comment-list"> <li id="comment-51397" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-51397" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">John Doe</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-51397"><time datetime="2025-02-13T14:02:14-06:00">February 13, 2025 at 2:02 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Thank you for helping us teachers.</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-29903" class="comment byuser comment-author-earthhow bypostauthor odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-29903" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">earthhow</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-29903"><time datetime="2024-02-29T05:39:56-06:00">February 29, 2024 at 5:39 am</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>This one is a bit more complicated… But it moves in multiple directions due to its interactions at its boundaries with other plates. It mostly moves northwestward at a rate of about 7 to 10 centimeters (or approximately 3 to 4 inches) per year.</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-29727" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-29727" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Ella Natenshon</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-29727"><time datetime="2024-02-27T15:23:21-06:00">February 27, 2024 at 3:23 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Where does the Pacific Plate move?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-22557" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-22557" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Emma Bolter</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-22557"><time datetime="2023-08-01T16:30:50-06:00">August 1, 2023 at 4:30 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Why are the boundaries of the Pacific plate the most active in terms of seismic activity? Is it because the Pacific plate is the fastest-growing plate or perhaps because it moves more than others? I really need to know. Thanks</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-22042" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-22042" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Shane Bassig</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-22042"><time datetime="2023-07-04T05:58:32-06:00">July 4, 2023 at 5:58 am</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Good</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-13119" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-13119" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Sai</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-13119"><time datetime="2022-04-17T00:29:58-06:00">April 17, 2022 at 12:29 am</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>What plate collided with the Pacific Plate?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-11914" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-11914" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Cliff</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-11914"><time datetime="2022-02-28T15:49:02-06:00">February 28, 2022 at 3:49 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>What would be the result if any of the aforementioned plates dropped a quarter of an inch???</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-4450" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-4450" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Amanda</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-4450"><time datetime="2020-09-03T10:50:24-06:00">September 3, 2020 at 10:50 am</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>What direction has the pacific plate been moving since the formation of Daikakuji?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-2411" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-2411" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Jeanette Lasserre</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-2411"><time datetime="2019-12-01T17:19:03-06:00">December 1, 2019 at 5:19 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>What would happen if the Pacific plate moves away from the N. American plate?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-2042" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-2042" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Gary Roberts</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-2042"><time datetime="2019-09-28T15:49:13-06:00">September 28, 2019 at 3:49 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Shouldn’t the line reading “While the North American plate in the east moves in the southwest direction…” read “southEAST direction? (to matche the NW direction of the Pacific plate in this area)<br /> Thanks</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-1056" class="comment byuser comment-author-earthhow bypostauthor even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-1056" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">earthhow</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-1056"><time datetime="2019-03-11T13:27:23-06:00">March 11, 2019 at 1:27 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>It’s per year. I fixed the text. Thanks!</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-1051" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-1051" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Harvey Landry</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/#comment-1051"><time datetime="2019-03-10T19:58:52-06:00">March 10, 2019 at 7:58 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>“…On average, the Pacific Plate moves at a rate of 5 to 10 centimeters. However, the Pacific Plate, Cocos Plate, Nazca Plate and Antarctic Plate move more than 10 centimeters which is the fastest movement rate of all plate tectonics…”</p> <p>Per what unit of time?</p></div></article> </li> </ol> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply</h3><form action="https://earthhow.com/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform" class="comment-form" novalidate><p class="comment-notes"><span id="email-notes">Your email address will not be published.</span> <span class="required-field-message">Required fields are marked <span class="required">*</span></span></p><p class="comment-form-comment comment-form-float-label"><textarea autocomplete="new-password" id="i477054932" name="i477054932" placeholder="Leave a comment..." cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="65525" aria-required="true" required="required"></textarea><textarea id="comment" aria-label="hp-comment" aria-hidden="true" name="comment" autocomplete="new-password" style="padding:0 !important;clip:rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important;position:absolute !important;white-space:nowrap !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important;overflow:hidden !important;" tabindex="-1"></textarea><label class="float-label" for="comment">Comment <span class="required">*</span></label></p><div class="comment-input-wrap no-url-field"><p class="comment-form-author"><input aria-label="Name" id="author" name="author" type="text" placeholder="John Doe" value="" size="30" maxlength="245" aria-required='true' required='required' /><label class="float-label" for="author">Name <span class="required">*</span></label></p> <p class="comment-form-email"><input aria-label="Email" id="email" name="email" type="email" placeholder="john@example.com" value="" size="30" maxlength="100" aria-describedby="email-notes" aria-required='true' required='required' /><label class="float-label" for="email">Email <span class="required">*</span></label></p></div><p class="form-submit"><input name="submit" type="submit" id="submit" class="submit" value="Post Comment" /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_post_ID' value='3430' id='comment_post_ID' /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_parent' id='comment_parent' value='0' /> </p></form></div></div></div></main> <aside id="secondary" role="complementary" class="primary-sidebar widget-area sidebar-slug-sidebar-primary sidebar-link-style-normal"> <div class="sidebar-inner-wrap"></div></aside></div></div></div><footer id="colophon" class="site-footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="site-footer-wrap"> <div class="site-top-footer-wrap site-footer-row-container site-footer-focus-item site-footer-row-layout-standard site-footer-row-tablet-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-layout-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_top"> <div class="site-footer-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-top-footer-inner-wrap site-footer-row site-footer-row-columns-3 site-footer-row-column-layout-left-half site-footer-row-tablet-column-layout-left-half site-footer-row-mobile-column-layout-row ft-ro-dir-row ft-ro-collapse-normal ft-ro-t-dir-column ft-ro-m-dir-default ft-ro-lstyle-plain"> <div class="site-footer-top-section-1 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-widget3 content-align-default content-tablet-align-default content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="sidebar-widgets-footer3"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <section id="text-8" class="widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16201" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-300x54.png" alt="EarthHow Logo" width="300" height="54" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-300x54.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-425x77.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-140x25.png 140w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo.png 491w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></p></div></section><section id="custom_html-13" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget">Learn Earth Science <div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:10px;"></div></div></section><section id="custom_html-7" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><a href="https://twitter.com/earth_how"><img class="aligncenter size-small_medium wp-image-15255" style="float:left; padding-right: 25px;" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/twitter-107x107.png" alt="" width="60" height="60"/></a><img class="alignleft size-small_medium wp-image-15256" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/rss-107x107.png" alt="" width="35" height="35"/></div></section></div></div></div><div class="site-footer-top-section-2 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-widget1 content-align-left content-tablet-align-default content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="sidebar-widgets-footer1"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <section id="custom_html-4" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><h2 class="widget-title">CATEGORIES</h2><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><ul style="margin-left:0px;"> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/atmosphere/">Atmosphere</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/career/">Career</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/">Geology</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/life-science/">Nature</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/outer-space/">Space</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/water-science/">Water</a></li> </ul></div></section></div></div></div><div class="site-footer-top-section-3 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-widget2 content-align-default content-tablet-align-default content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="sidebar-widgets-footer2"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <section id="custom_html-5" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><h2 class="widget-title">Features</h2><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><ul style="margin-left:0px;"> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/articles/">Articles</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/tag/infographic/">Infographics</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/newsletter/">Newsletter</a></li> </ul></div></section></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="site-middle-footer-wrap site-footer-row-container site-footer-focus-item site-footer-row-layout-standard site-footer-row-tablet-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-layout-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_middle"> <div class="site-footer-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-middle-footer-inner-wrap site-footer-row site-footer-row-columns-1 site-footer-row-column-layout-row site-footer-row-tablet-column-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-column-layout-row ft-ro-dir-row ft-ro-collapse-normal ft-ro-t-dir-default ft-ro-m-dir-default ft-ro-lstyle-plain"> <div class="site-footer-middle-section-1 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-navigation-wrap content-align-center content-tablet-align-center content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default footer-navigation-layout-stretch-false" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_navigation"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner footer-navigation-inner"> <nav id="footer-navigation" class="footer-navigation" role="navigation" aria-label="Footer Navigation"> <div class="footer-menu-container"> <ul id="footer-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-15577" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15577"><a href="https://earthhow.com/about/">About</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15574" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current_page_parent menu-item-15574"><a href="https://earthhow.com/articles/">Articles</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15578" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15578"><a href="https://earthhow.com/contact/">Contact</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15579" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15579"><a href="https://earthhow.com/how-to-cite/">How To Cite</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15575" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15575"><a href="https://earthhow.com/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15576" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15576"><a href="https://earthhow.com/terms-of-service/">Terms of Service</a></li> </ul></div></nav></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="site-bottom-footer-wrap site-footer-row-container site-footer-focus-item site-footer-row-layout-standard site-footer-row-tablet-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-layout-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_bottom"> <div class="site-footer-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap site-footer-row site-footer-row-columns-1 site-footer-row-column-layout-row site-footer-row-tablet-column-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-column-layout-row ft-ro-dir-row ft-ro-collapse-normal ft-ro-t-dir-default ft-ro-m-dir-default ft-ro-lstyle-plain"> <div class="site-footer-bottom-section-1 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area site-info site-footer-focus-item content-align-center content-tablet-align-center content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_html"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <div class="footer-html inner-link-style-plain"><div class="footer-html-inner"><p><span class="customize-control-description">© 2025 Earth How</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></footer></div><div id="mobile-drawer" class="popup-drawer popup-drawer-layout-sidepanel popup-drawer-animation-fade popup-drawer-side-left" data-drawer-target-string="#mobile-drawer"> <div class="drawer-overlay" data-drawer-target-string="#mobile-drawer"></div><div class="drawer-inner"> <div class="drawer-header"> <button class="menu-toggle-close drawer-toggle" aria-label="Close menu" data-toggle-target="#mobile-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-left" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus=".menu-toggle-open" > <span class="toggle-close-bar"></span> <span class="toggle-close-bar"></span> </button></div><div class="drawer-content mobile-drawer-content content-align-left content-valign-top"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item site-header-item-mobile-navigation mobile-navigation-layout-stretch-false" data-section="kadence_customizer_mobile_navigation"> <nav id="mobile-site-navigation" class="mobile-navigation drawer-navigation drawer-navigation-parent-toggle-false" role="navigation" aria-label="Primary Mobile Navigation"> <div class="mobile-menu-container drawer-menu-container"> <ul id="mobile-menu" class="menu has-collapse-sub-nav"><li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17132"><a href="https://earthhow.com/atmosphere/">Atmosphere</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17131"><a href="https://earthhow.com/biology/">Biology</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17130"><a href="https://earthhow.com/career/">Career</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17129"><a href="https://earthhow.com/geology/">Geology</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17128"><a href="https://earthhow.com/space/">Space</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17127"><a href="https://earthhow.com/water/">Water</a></li> </ul></div></nav></div></div></div></div><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/20wy7k05/445gh.css" media="all"/> <div id="search-drawer" class="popup-drawer popup-drawer-layout-fullwidth" data-drawer-target-string="#search-drawer"> <div class="drawer-overlay" data-drawer-target-string="#search-drawer"></div><div class="drawer-inner"> <div class="drawer-header"> <button class="search-toggle-close drawer-toggle" aria-label="Close search" data-toggle-target="#search-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-full" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus=".search-toggle-open" > <span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-close-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><title>Toggle Menu Close</title><path d="M5.293 6.707l5.293 5.293-5.293 5.293c-0.391 0.391-0.391 1.024 0 1.414s1.024 0.391 1.414 0l5.293-5.293 5.293 5.293c0.391 0.391 1.024 0.391 1.414 0s0.391-1.024 0-1.414l-5.293-5.293 5.293-5.293c0.391-0.391 0.391-1.024 0-1.414s-1.024-0.391-1.414 0l-5.293 5.293-5.293-5.293c-0.391-0.391-1.024-0.391-1.414 0s-0.391 1.024 0 1.414z"></path> </svg></span> </button></div><div class="drawer-content"> <form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="https://earthhow.com/"> <label> <span class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</span> <input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search …" value="" name="s" /> </label> <input type="submit" class="search-submit" value="Search" /> <div class="kadence-search-icon-wrap"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-search-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="26" height="28" viewBox="0 0 26 28"><title>Search</title><path d="M18 13c0-3.859-3.141-7-7-7s-7 3.141-7 7 3.141 7 7 7 7-3.141 7-7zM26 26c0 1.094-0.906 2-2 2-0.531 0-1.047-0.219-1.406-0.594l-5.359-5.344c-1.828 1.266-4.016 1.937-6.234 1.937-6.078 0-11-4.922-11-11s4.922-11 11-11 11 4.922 11 11c0 2.219-0.672 4.406-1.937 6.234l5.359 5.359c0.359 0.359 0.578 0.875 0.578 1.406z"></path> </svg></span></div></form></div></div></div><noscript id="wpfc-google-fonts"><link rel='stylesheet' id='kadence-fonts-css' href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Inter:regular,800,700,600&display=swap' media='all'/> </noscript> <script id="kadence-navigation-js-extra">var kadenceConfig={"screenReader":{"expand":"Child menu","expandOf":"Child menu of","collapse":"Child menu","collapseOf":"Child menu of"},"breakPoints":{"desktop":"1024","tablet":768},"scrollOffset":"0"};</script> <script>document.documentElement.classList.remove('no-js');</script> <script data-noptimize>document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute("id", "a17b256b9f9ceafdd220af1f69e11fde");document.getElementById("i477054932").setAttribute("id", "comment");</script> <script>document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--scrollbar-offset', window.innerWidth - document.documentElement.clientWidth + 'px');</script> <script defer src='//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/13nwc9nw/445g5.js'></script> <script>document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',function(){function wpfcgl(){var wgh=document.querySelector('noscript#wpfc-google-fonts').innerText, wgha=wgh.match(/<link[^\>]+>/gi);for(i=0;i<wgha.length;i++){var wrpr=document.createElement('div');wrpr.innerHTML=wgha[i];document.body.appendChild(wrpr.firstChild);}}wpfcgl();});</script> </body> </html>