Examine the Crustal Age Map of the Pacific Ocean: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/i

Question

Examine the Crustal Age Map of the Pacific Ocean: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/WorldCrustalAge.jpg

1. Where is the youngest oceanic crust found? Is there a plate tectonic explanation for this?

2. Where is the oldest crust found? Is there a plate tectonic explanation for this?

3. How old is the oldest oceanic crust? How does the age of the oldest oceanic crust compare to the age of the oldest continental crust? Why do you think there is such an enormous difference in age?

4. Unlike the Atlantic Ocean plates, the Pacific plates are not symmetric. The eastern plate is quite young. Is there a plate tectonic explanation for this?

Explanation / Answer

1.The youngest oceanic crust is found in the tropic of capricorn and the antartic circle which ranges between 0-9.6 million years. The plate tectonic is that the rock was being formed before some years and can stand for many more years.

2. The oldest oceanic crust is found at tropic of cancer at about 30degree N and at 150degree E.The plate tectonic is as these rocks are more aged they may break up at any time and may even cause instability in the floor area.

3.The oldest oceanic crust is about 156-180years old. The age of oceanic crust may be given lesser importance than the continental crust because as the continental crust age is more,the break up of rocks may occur which may cause drifting apart of plates and inbalance in the floor configuration.

4.The pacific plates are not symmetric because of the flow of oceanic waves all the time and also the plates are located close to the shore line but in case of atlantic ocean plates the plates are far away from the shorelines.

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