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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Slimmer Indian Continent Drifted Ten Times Faster


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A map shows the world's major tectonic plates.

A new study has revealed why the Indian plate (in red on right) travels ten times faster than the Antarctic, Australian, and African plates, which also broke apart from a supercontinent known as Gondwanaland about 150 million years ago.

The answer: India's plate is a half to a third as thick.

Image courtesy USGS