Timeline for How many tectonic plates should my planet have? And why?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2018 at 10:45 | comment | added | Luaan | @Daniel It's now thought that most of the force comes from the subduction of oceanic plates - if that's true, you could expect that only the mass of the oceanic plates makes much of a difference. If you could think of some reason why continental plates wouldn't acrete as much as on Earth, you could imagine a world that's pretty similar to ours while having dozens of relatively small continents. | |
| Jun 6, 2018 at 7:05 | comment | added | ArcWraith | No, that reverses time, if you want travel back in time properly you need to fly around the sun, just ask Star Trek | |
| Jun 5, 2018 at 19:58 | comment | added | Ghotir | Now, can you get Superman to explain how flying in a circle around the Earth, backwards, causes time travel? | |
| Jun 5, 2018 at 18:06 | comment | added | VBartilucci | I think the question is more, what about the planet would have to be different for less or more plates to form. A cooler mantle of the planet might result in less/larger plates, as less pressure from the currents of flowing magma pulling and pushing against the crust. | |
| Jun 5, 2018 at 17:43 | comment | added | gen-ℤ ready to perish | Also to consider: maybe it’s not just about what tectonic distribution is convenient but also what is reasonable. The formation of tectonic plates isn’t random; they were caused by the planet itself. Is it really feasible that, if the OP only wanted one mountain range, only two tectonic plates would form? | |
| Jun 5, 2018 at 14:33 | comment | added | Daniel | more plates might also lead to less force behind each plate so more frequent but less severe Earthquakes and not so high mountains/ not so deep trences | |
| Jun 5, 2018 at 14:19 | history | answered | VBartilucci | CC BY-SA 4.0 |