Question

In an ocean basin, a 4 Ma old oceanic crust lies 40 km away from the ridge axis. The average velocity (in cm/yr) of the oceanic lithosphere is ............

Hint:

To calculate the average velocity of the lithosphere, simply divide the distance by the time in the correct units.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 1

Step 1: Use the formula for average velocity.
The formula for calculating the average velocity \( v \) of oceanic lithosphere is given by: \[ v = \frac{\text{distance}}{\text{time}} \] where: - Distance = 40 km = 4000 m - Time = 4 million years = 4,000,000 years We convert the time into years to match the units: \[ v = \frac{4000 \, \text{m}}{4,000,000 \, \text{years}} = 0.001 \, \text{m/year} = 0.1 \, \text{cm/year} \] Thus, the average velocity of the oceanic lithosphere is 0.1 cm/year.