Plate tectonics: the earth’s crust is broken up into a series of more-or-less rigid plates that slide around due to motion of material in the mantle below. although the speeds of these plates vary somewhat, they are typically about 5 cm/y (centimeter per year). assume that this rate remains constant over time.1
a. if you and your neighbor live on opposite sides of a plate boundary at which one plate is moving northward at 5 cm/y with respect to the other plate, how far apart do your houses move in a century?
b. los angeles is presently 550 km south of san francisco but is on a plate moving northward relative to san francisco. if the 5.0 cm/y velocity continues, how many years will it take before los angeles has moved up to san francisco?