The Galapagos Spreading Center By Akhil Jariwala What

The Galapagos Spreading Center By Akhil Jariwala

What it is The Galapagos Spreading Center is an example of a divergent boundary, where the sea floor comes through the plate gap and creates new sea floor.

What Cont’d • Magma chambers arise near the separation of the plates, creating mini volcanoes. Called magma plumes. As the plates continue to move, old volcanoes are withered down and new ones come up.

Where it is • Just south of the Cocos Plate and north of the Nazca Plate. While the Nazca plate tries to befriend the SA plate to make the Andes, poor little Cocos is left behind, and in his anger shoots out lava where his friend once touched him ever so dearly. Thus, the Spread Center. Hope you like my analogy!!!

When is it…? ? ? … • The boundary is probably 90 million years old. This is critical to the understanding of life on the Galapagos Islands and how it developed. The Galapagos Spreading Center was over the Galapagos Mantle Plume 5 years ago, but has since moved north

Why is it? • See Big Bang theory, or the Bible’s reference to Creation.

Other • The Galapagos spreading center is made up of 3 different faults. 2 Rift Faults, which are like divergent faults, are separated by a transform fault. Looks like this: (2 lines = rift, 1 line = transform Transform