Why are large landmasses moving. What’s moving them and what’s the end goal.
In: Earth Science
The earth is mostly composed of a mixture of very thick liquid rock and metal. A very thin solid rock crust floats on top of this liquid. Because the crust is thin, it tends to break into individual chunks called tectonic plates. These chunks can drift apart from each other, creating rifts, or collide with each other. Because the liquid core of the earth is very thick and gloopy, the tectonic plates move very slowly.
Even the fastest moving tectonic plates are only moving an inch or two per year. Major events like earthquakes can cause relative rapid shifts of a few inches or even a few feet. Given this speed, there really won’t be any noticeable different in 100 years. If North American were 5 feet further from Europe, would you really be able to notice?
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