do all the islands in pacific including new zealand and australia moving northwards
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SEDIMENTOLOGY ASSIGNMENT
SUBMITTED BY:RIDAAZHAR
SUBMITTED TO:DR.I.U.CHEEMA
DATE OF SUBMISSION:26/10/2011
DAY OF SUBMISSION:WEDNESDAY
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Do all the islands in pacific including New Zealand and Australia moving
northwards?
Answer:
Pacific Plate
The Pacific plate, shown in pale yellow
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million square
kilometres, it is the largest tectonic plate.
The north-eastern side is a divergent boundary with the Explorer Plate, the Juan de Fuca Plate and
the Gorda Plate forming respectively the Explorer Ridge, the Juan de Fuca Ridge and the Gorda Ridge.
In the middle of the eastern side is a transform boundary with the North American Plate along the San
Andreas Fault, and a boundary with the Cocos Plate. The south-eastern side is a divergent
boundary with the Nazca Plate forming the East Pacific Rise.
The southern side is a divergent boundary with the Antarctic Plate forming thepacific-Antarctic Ridge.
The western side, the plate is bounded by the Okhotsk Plate at the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and
the Japan Trench, forms a convergent boundary by subducting under thephilippine Sea Plate creating
the Mariana Trench, has a transform boundary with thecaroline Plate, and has a collision boundary
with the North Bismarck Plate.
In the south-west, the Pacific Plate has a complex but generally convergent boundary with the Indo-
Australian Plate, subducting under it north of New Zealand forming the Tonga Trench and
the Kermadec Trench. The Alpine Fault marks a transform boundary between the two plates, and
further south the Indo-Australian Plate subducts under the Pacific Plate forming the Puysegur Trench.
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The southern part ofzealandia, which is to the east of this boundary, is the plate's largest block of
continental crust.
The northern side is a convergent boundary subducting under the North American Plate forming
the Aleutian Trench and the correspondingaleutian Islands.
The Pacific Plate contains an interior hot spot forming the Hawaiian Islands.
Hillis and Mller are reported to consider the Bird's Head Plate to be moving in unison with the Pacific
Plate.[1] Bird considers them to be unconnected.[2]
Paleo-geology of the Pacific Plate;
The Pacific Plate has the distinction of showing one of the largest areal sections of the oldest members
of seabed geology being entrenched into eastern Asian oceanic trenches. A geologic map of the Pacific
Ocean seabed shows not only the geologic sequences, and associatedring of Fire zones on the ocean's
perimeters, but the various ages of the seafloor in a stair-step fashion, youngest to oldest, the oldest
being consumed into the Asian oceanic trenches. The oldest member disappearing by way of the Plate
Tectonics cycle is early-Cretaceous (145 to 137 million years ago).[3]
All maps of Earth's ocean floor geology show ages younger than 145 million years, only about 1/40 of
the Earth's 4.55 billion year history.
The pacific islands:
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also
sometimes collectively called Oceania,[1] although Oceania is sometimes defined as also
including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago.
The Pacific Islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer are traditionally grouped into the three divisions
of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia:
Melanesia means black islands. These include New Guinea (the largest Pacific island, which is divided
into the sovereign nation of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesianprovinces of Maluku (maluku
Province) Papua and West Papua), New Caledonia, Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait Islands), Vanuatu, Fiji,
and the Solomon Islands.
Micronesia means small islands. These include the Marianas, Guam, Wake Island,Palau, the Marshall
Islands, Kiribati, *Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Most of these lie north of
the equator.
Polynesia means many islands. These include New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands,Rotuma, the Midway
Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, Wallis and
Futuna, Tokelau, Niue, French Polynesia, and Easter Island. It is the largest of the three zones.
The region's islands are classified into two groups, high islands and low islands. Volcanoes form high
islands, which generally can support more people and have a more fertile soil. Low islands
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are reefs or atolls, and are relatively small and infertile. Melanesia, the most populous of the three
regions, contains mainly high islands, while most of Micronesia and Polynesia are low islands. In
addition, there are many other islands located within the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean that are not
considered part of Oceania. These islands include the Galpagos Islands of Ecuador; the Aleutian
Islands in Alaska, United States; the Russian islands of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands; Taiwan and other
islands of the Republic of China; the Philippines; islands in the South China Sea, which includes thedisputed South China Sea Islands; most of the islands of Indonesia; and the island nation of Japan,
which includes the Ryukyu Islands and the Japanese Archipelago.
Nauru (along with Kiribati's Banaba island) could be counted as somewhat of an exception. The
indigenous Nauruans are both a mosaic and mixture of groups from all three categories- with cultural
influence stemming primarily from Micronesia. The island was also said to be an extreme point of the
"Tongan Empire" and may as a result share subtle cultural and, obviously, historical aspects with
Polynesia. Lastly, the people speak a language and have a number of genes not in common with any of
the three regions. Of the three, Nauru is least like Polynesia and Melanesia and for practical
applications, Nauru is either assigned to Micronesia or designated as a separate entity (with the
former being the most common).
This is a list of many of the major Pacific islands, organized by archipelago or political unit. In order to
keep this list of moderate size, links are given to more complete lists for countries with large numbers
of small or uninhabited islands.
Note: many Polynesian languages have a glottal stop, which in most of them is seldom written, however.
If a name with a < > cannot be found, try to rewrite it without it. See 'okina for more info. American Samoa (eastern part of the Samoa Islands, United States territory)
Aunu u Ofu
Olosega
Rose Atoll
Swains Island (Olosenga, Olohega) (disputed)
Ta u Tutuila
Baker Island (United States)
British Columbia, Canada (many islands). All of Canada's Pacific islands are located in the province
ofBritish Columbia. Vancouver Islandis Canada's largest Pacific island.
Caroline Islands (Federated States of Micronesia; Palau)
Federated States of Micronesia
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Pohnpei
Yap
Ulithi
Chuuk
Puluwat
Kosrae
Palau
Babeldaob
Ioueldaob
Koror
Southwest Islands
Clipperton Island (France)
Cook Islands
Aitutaki
Atiu
Pamati (Palmerston)
Mangaia
Manihiki (Humphrey)
Manuae (Hervey) Mauke (Parry)
Mitiaro
Nassau
Pukapuka (Danger)
Rakahanga (Reirson)
Rarotonga
Suwarrow (Anchorage)
Takutea Tongareva (Penrhyn)
Desventuradas Islands (Chile)
East Timor
Timor
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Easter Island/Rapa Nui (Chile)
Fiji Islands
Principal islands:
Viti Levu
Vanua Levu
Significant outliers:
Conway Reef
Kadavu Island
Taveuni
Rotuma Island
Archipelagos:
Kadavu Group
Lau Islands
Lomaiviti Islands
Mamanuca Islands
Moala Islands
Ringgold Isles
Rotuma Group
Vanua Levu Group
Viti Levu Group
Yasawa Islands
French Polynesia ("Tahiti", Autonomous Overseas Territory of France)
Austral Islands
Tubuai
Society Islands
Iles du Vent (Windward Islands)
Moorea Tahiti
Tetiaroa
Maiao
Mehetia
Iles Sous le Vent (Leeward Islands)
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Bora Bora
Huahine
Maupiti
Raiatea & Tahaa
Tupai
Mopelia (aka Maupihaa)
Manuae (aka Scilly Atoll)
Motu One (aka Bellinghausen)
Marquesas
Fatu Hiva
Hiva Oa
Nuku Hiva
Tahuata
Ua Huka
Ua Pou
Tuamotus
Rangiroa
Fakarava
Moruroa
Fangataufa
Gambier Islands
Mangareva
Helena Island
Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
Gilbert Islands (Kiribati)
Hawaii (United States; see also Hawaiian Islands)
Main islands
Hawai i Kaho olawe Kaua i Lana i Maui
Moloka i
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Ni ihau O ahu
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Kaula
Nihoa
Necker
French Frigate Shoals
Gardner Pinnacles
Maro Reef
Laysan
Lisianski
Pearl and Hermes Reef
Midway
Kure
Howland Island (United States)
Indonesia
Johnston Atoll (United States)
Juan Fernndez Islands (Chile)
Kermadec Islands (New Zealand)
Macauley Island
Raoul Island
Line Islands
Caroline Island
Flint Island (Kiribati)
Jarvis Island (United States)
Kingman Reef(United States)
Kiritimati/Christmas Island (Kiribati)
Malden Island (Kiribati)
Palmyra Atoll (United States)
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Starbuck Island (Kiribati)
Tabuaeran/Fanning Island (Kiribati)
Teraina/Washington Island (Kiribati)
Tongareva/Penhryn Island (Cook Islands)
Vostok Island (Kiribati)
Lord Howe Island (Australia)
Marcus Island (Japan)
Marianas Islands (United States)
Guam
Northern Marianas Islands
Saipan
Rota
Tinian
Maug
Pagan Island
Alamagan
Farallon de Pajaros
Marshall Islands
Bikini
Enewetak
Kwajalein
Rongelap
Majuro
Norfolk Island (Australia)
Federated States of Micronesia (Caroline Islands)
Chuuk (Truk)
Puluwat
Pohnpei
Kosrae
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Yap
Ulithi
Nauru
New Caledonia ("Kanaky", France)
Chesterfield Islands
Ilots du Mouillage
New Caledonia
Isle of Pines
Belep Islands
New Caledonia
Loyalty Islands Bagao
Lifou Island
Mar Island
Ouva Island
Tiga Island
New Zealand ("Aotearoa", see also Islands of New Zealand)
Chatham Islands
Chatham Island
Pitt Island
D'Urville Island
Great Barrier Island
Kapiti Island
North Island
South Island
Stewart Island/Rakiura
Waiheke Island
Niue (Savage Island)
Okinotori Islands (Japan)
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Papua New Guinea
Bismarck Archipelago
Admiralty Islands
New Britain
New Ireland
Saint Matthias Group
Bougainville
D'Entrecasteaux Islands
Louisiade Archipelago
Trobriand Islands
Phoenix Islands (Kiribati)
Pitcairn Islands (UK)
Henderson Island
Oeno Island
Ducie Island
Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico)
Samoa (western part of the Samoa Islands)
Savai i Upolu Apolima
Manono
Nuutele
Solomon Islands (see also Islands of the Solomon Islands)
Bellona
Choiseul Florida Island
Guadalcanal
Malaita
Maramasike
New Georgia Islands
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Rennell
Russell Islands
San Cristobal
Santa Cruz Islands
Santa Isabel
Shortland Islands
Sikaiana (Stewart Islands)
Tulagi
Ulawa
Uki
Tokelau
Atafu (Duke of York Island)
Fakaofo (Bowditch Island)
Nukunonu (Duke of Clarence Island)
Olohega (Swains island) (disputed)
Tonga (only main islands or groups, on north-south order. See also complete list of islands in Tonga)
Niuafo ou Niuatoputapu (Keppel's Island)
Vava u Kao
Tofua
Ha apai Tongatapu
Eua Torres Strait Islands (Australia)
Tuvalu (see also Islands of Tuvalu)
Funafuti (atoll of at least 30 islands)
Nanumanga (orNanumaga)
Nanumea (atoll of at least 6 islands)
Niulakita
Niutao
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Nui (atoll of at least 21 islands)
Nukufetau (atoll of at least 33 islands)
Nukulaelae (atoll of at least 15 islands)
Vaitupu (atoll of at least 9 islands)
Vanuatu (New Hebrides; see also Islands of Vanuatu)
Ambrym
Anatom
Aoba
fat
Erromango
Espiritu Santo
Futuna
Hunter(claimed by France and Vanuatu)
les Banks
les Torres
Mawo
Matthew (claimed by France and Vanuatu)
Malakula
Pentecte
Tanna
Wake Island (United States)
Wallis and Futuna (France)
Alofi
Futuna
Wallis ( Uvea) Willis Island (Australia)
PACIFIC PLATE MOTION:
The Pacific Plate is moving northwest relative to the North American Plate at a rate of 45 mm/year.
This movement occurs along faults, mainly the San Andreas Fault. The San Andreas Fault system is the
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major fault system found in California. Fault systems running parallel to the San Andreas include the
San Jacinto, Elsinore and Imperial.
Faults are breaks in rock masses along which movement has occurred. A fault zone can be identified by
a band of crushed rock. The length of a fault may vary from a few centimeters to thousands of
kilometers.
The Pacific Plate moves Northwest relative to the North American Plate at approximately the same
rate that your fingernails grow. If you never cut your fingernails and you lived to be 100 years old,
your fingernails would be approximately ten and a half feet long.
Movement of AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND towards north:
The onset of seafloor spreading west of Australia at
~130 Ma marks the breakup between India and
Australia. Roughly at the same time, subduction east
of Australia ceased. The break between Australia and Antarctica was the last event in the Gondwana
breakup. It began about 80 million years ago when a
deep rift valley formed along the southern edge of
Australia; this widened to form the present Southern
Ocean. Since then Australia has been moving steadily
north at the rate of about 5 cm per year. Prior to 43
million yhears ago a triple junction formed north of
the Ross Sea, accommodating motion between East
and West Antarctica. At the same time spreading
between India and Australia ceased and the
northward motion of Australia accelerated as it
separated from Antarctica. The Southeast Indian Ridgenow completely separated the Australian and
Antarctic Plates. At the same time spreading between India and Australia ceased and subduction north
of Papua New Guinea was initiated.
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Major plate tectonic events since the early Miocene (~20 Ma) include the breakup of the Indo-
Australian plate, and various collisional processes and plate boundary reorganizations north and east
of Australia. The sector of oceanic crust containing Macquarie Island, between Tasman Sea oceanic
crust and continental crust of the Campbell Plateau, was generated from 39 to 10.5 million years ago
at the Proto-Macquarie Spreading Ridge, that propagated from the
Pacific/Antarctic spreading ridge. The Proto-Macquarie Spreading Ridge evolvedwith time from long ridge segments of NNE-trend to short ridge segments of E-trend
in the vicinity of Macquarie Island and generated during the latest episodes of
seafloor spreading. The overall trend of the Proto-Macquarie Spreading Ridge was
NNE-SSW throughout and roughly coincided with the present day Macquarie Ridge.
Plate reconstructions suggest coincident seafloor spreading and strike-slip
movements at the Proto-Macquarie Spreading Ridge between 14 and 10.5 Ma. The
present day Australian/Pacific plate margin is coincident with the Macquarie Ridge, a 2100 km long
crustal fracture system connecting the Pacific/Antarctic and Indo-Australian/Antarctic spreading
ridges with the Alpine Fault system in New Zealand.
Volcanoes in New Zealand result from the subduction of the Pacific Plate
under the Australian Plate. South of the North Island the tectonic boundary
between the Indian-Australian and Pacific plates changes to a transform fault.
New Zealand straddles the boundary of the Australian and Pacific plates.
Along New Zealand, the Australian plate moves to the northeast at a rate of 35
to 45 mm/yr relative to the Pacific plate. In the central South Island, this plate
motion results in predominantly strike-slip movement along the Alpine Fault. In southwestern South
Island, relative plate motion is accommodated by oblique subduction of the Australian plate along the
Puysegur trench and deformation of the overriding Pacific plate inland of the trench. The Southern
Alps of New Zealand result from this oblique plate convergence.
Personal openionabout the movement of the PACIFIC plate:
so, at the end I would like to conclude that the pacific plate has been moving towards the northwest
relative to the North American Plate at a rate of 45 mm/year. This movement
occurs along faults, mainly the San Andreas Fault. The onset of seafloor
spreading west of Australia at ~130 Ma marks the breakup between India and
Australia. Since then Australia has been moving steadily north at the rate of
about 5 cm per year. . The present day Australian/Pacific plate margin is
coincident with the Macquarie Ridge, a 2100 km long crustal fracture system
connecting the Pacific/Antarctic and Indo-Australian/Antarctic spreading
ridges with the Alpine Fault system in New Zealand. New Zealand straddles the boundary of theAustralian and Pacific plates. Along New Zealand, the Australian plate moves to the northeast at a
rate of 35 to 45 mm/yr relative to the Pacific plate. So this shows that the pacific plate is continuously
moving towards north& Australia was initially not a part of the pacific plate but later on it separated
from indo-Australian plate and started moving toward north. now it share its margins with the pacific
plate and is moving towards north. Moreover newzealand also shares the boundary with the
Australian and Pacific plate and is moving along with them.
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References:
Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Islands
Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Plate
Http://visearth.ucsd.edu/vise_Int/aralsea/tutorial.html