Question

The current theory of the structure of the Earth, called plate tectonics, tells us that the continents are in constant motion. Assume that the North American continent can be represented by a slab of rock 4700 km on a side and 25 km deep and that the rock has an average mass density of 2880 kg/m3 . The continent is moving at the rate of about 3.2 cm/year. What is the mass of the continent

Answer 1

Answer:

$m = 1.590\times 10^{15}\,tons$

Explanation:

The mass of the continent is calculated as follows:

$m = (2880\,\frac{kg}{m^{3}})\cdot (4,700,000\,m)^2\cdot (25\,m)\cdot(\frac{1\,ton}{1000\,kg} )$

$m = 1.590\times 10^{15}\,tons$