GPS—MeasuringPlateMotion.PDFVIP

GPS—Measuring Plate Motion How fast are the tectonic plates moving? Background pages to accompany: IRIS’ Animations: GPS–Measuring Plate Motion HOT LINKS : Introduction* Interactive Flash: Walk-Run Triangulation Scientists now have a fairly good understanding of how the plates move (Figure 1) and how such movements relate Interactive Flash: Plate Boundaries to earthquakes and volcanic activity. Movement is most Animation: Plate Boundaries pronounced along narrow zones between plates where the results of plate-tectonic forces are most evident (Figure 2). What is GPS? How does it work? Current plate movement can be tracked directly by means of space-based geodetic measurements; geodesy is the Using Real Data: science of the size and shape of the Earth. Because plate Velocity Viewer: Real-time Plate Rate motions are global in scale, they are best measured by satellite-based methods. The late 1970s witnessed the rapid Data for Educators growth of space geodesy, a term applied to space-based Triangulating from Satellites techniques for taking precise, repeated measurements of carefully chosen points on the Earth’s surface separated Activity: What is a Rate? by hundreds to thousands of kilometers. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been the most useful for studying the Earth’s crustal movements. scientists are learning more about events that build up By repeatedly measuring distances between specific to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the circum- points, geologists