Even though plate tectonics is now understood to a degree by most people, I still find it fascinating how few realize what that really means. They know that continents move, yet do not grasp that is the only thing that moves around. Because of subduction, most of the coastal area of Western North America is not even originally part of "America". It was once on older plates, that are either now being pushed under the continent, or have already vanished under it. Much of what we now know as Oregon and Washington was once way out in the Pacific Ocean. And even coastal regions have moved, especially along the slip fault known as the San Andreas Fault. That does not just run through California, it extends up into Canada, and down into Mexico. With the land on the western side moving north. So when one looks at say San Diego, that was not always in California. Go back a few million years, that land was actually in Mexico. But fault slippage has since then pushed it north. Central Washington University has a fascinating series of lectures that help explain things like this to laymen. And not only are they free, they are mostly in segments of about an hour and are fascinating to watch. Nick Zentner is a fascinating speaker, and for anybody interested in such things I encourage you to check out his lectures. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwNJg2mCrcQRYmYJzHUv7YxO40JlNbAWe
Plate tectonics to me means don't build your houses on a well known fault line. Or in other locations don't build your houses in a flood plain. Simple truths for simple people.
Actually, the "well known faults" are not the danger that most tend to think they are. Most of the major earthquakes are actually along unknown faults. Those are unknown because they had not had earthquakes in long periods of time, so the stresses just built up. Most of the "known faults" actually tend to have minor quakes so they do not build up those stresses. Like in 1994 when the previously unknown "Northridge Blind Thrust Fault" let go and caused close to $50 billion in damage. And more than not building, it is more about known how to build. For example, "Dingbats" were common in Los Angeles, until 1994 showed the problem with those in earthquake country. They are now illegal in most of California, but huge numbers still exist, and most have been retrofitted to withstand future earthquakes. In fact, standard single family structures did amazingly well even in major earthquakes in the region.
OK, fine. To do wo, we only have to find some way to cool the mantle so much that the plates lock and no longer move around. Of course, that will also have the effect of ending the magnetic dynamo that creates the Magnetosphere. Which is what protects us from much of the radiation from the sun. So in a few million years our planet will be as barren as Mars. But hey, no more plates moving around. We will still have volcanoes however. We know the magnetosphere on Mars collapsed billions of years ago, yet Olympus Mons is only around 25 million years old.
I know! I know! Blame Man Made Global Warming And too. Moi Before a achieved a manned orbital flight JFK pledged would land a man + safely return to Earth in hardly 10 years YES WE DID
If Not Now - When? If Not Who? the French ? Or NATO? "Avoid foreign entanglements" true today as advised by George Washington. If Stopping Continental Drift is too far a goal, How about current "foreign entanglements". Moi
