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Name _______________________________________ Date ______________ Period _______
Lab: A Case for Pacific Plate Motion
COORDINATED SCIENCE 1
Background: To measure motion you have to have a starting and an ending point. You must
also know the time it took to get from start to end. Volcanic activity associated with a hot spot
beneath Hawaii gives geologists exactly that.
How can scientists show that Earth’s plates are moving? You goal will be to infer the movement
for the Hawaiian Islands over a
hot spot
Materials:
• Ruler
• Calculator
• Scale map of the
Hawaiian Islands
Proceedure:
1. Measure and record the
distances between the island sets in the data table
below. Use the map scale
to convert measurements
to kilometers (km)
2. Refer to average ages given for each island on the map. Calculate and record the age
differences for each set of islands in the data table. Use the hot spot beneath the island of
Hawaii as a starting reference point.
3. Calculate the rate of motion in km/year. Assume that the hot spot is stationary and that the
Pacific plate is moving over it.
4. When you have completed the data table below, answer the conclusion questions.
Distance/Time Data for Hawaiian Islands
From/To
Hawaii to Maui
Maui to Molokai
Molokai to Oahu
Oahu to Kauai
Distance (km)
Time (years)
Rate (km/year)
Conclusion Questions:
1. Evaluate how meaningful your calculated rate numbers are. Determine a better rate unit and
convert your km/year rates to these new units.
2. Infer why the rates are not consistent using what you know about plate movement.
3. Describe the overall motion of the Pacific Plate based on your data.
4. The Hawaiian Islands are examples of an island chain formed over a hot spot. Give an example of a hot spot located under a continental plate.
5. Observe the map below and infer the location of a divergent zone that could be “pushing” the
Pacific plate.