- #1
Ostsol
- 12
- 0
Looking at maps of the age of the seafloor, one can see a rough triangle in the Pacific near the Marianas Trench that represents the oldest area of the Pacific plate. Some maps mark the very oldest area as being roughly at the centre of this triangle. Upon seeing this I found myself asking how a point on a plate can be surrounded by younger material.
Looking at seafloor topography maps I also noticed the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. I long known that the Hawaiian Islands are the result of the Pacific plate moving over a mantle hotspot, but the Emperor seamount chain is angle more northerly than the Hawaiian chain. To me this indicates that the Pacific plate's movement changed direction at some point. Some reading about the full seamount chain verifies this.
Going back to the Pacific "triangle", I concluded that the it is due to the changing directions of the Pacific plate. However, it seems to require that the plate's movement completely reversed at some point.
Is this even vaguely an accurate assessment of what happened? Or is there something significant that I am missing?
Thanks.
Looking at seafloor topography maps I also noticed the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. I long known that the Hawaiian Islands are the result of the Pacific plate moving over a mantle hotspot, but the Emperor seamount chain is angle more northerly than the Hawaiian chain. To me this indicates that the Pacific plate's movement changed direction at some point. Some reading about the full seamount chain verifies this.
Going back to the Pacific "triangle", I concluded that the it is due to the changing directions of the Pacific plate. However, it seems to require that the plate's movement completely reversed at some point.
Is this even vaguely an accurate assessment of what happened? Or is there something significant that I am missing?
Thanks.