Week2: Tectonic Plates, Argentina

Argentina is located on the South American Tectonic plate, the map below shows the area to the east of Argentina as passive, while the western side is active. The South American plate is touching the Nazca, Antarctic, and Scotia plates, and is on the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. 

The plates in western Argentina are convergent, with the Nazca and Antarctic plates overriding the South American Plate. The plates to the south of Argentina are transforming between the Scotia and the South American plate. The southerly edge of the South American plate is a complex boundary with the Antarctic plate, the Scotia Plate, and the Sandwich Plate, while the westerly edge is a convergent boundary with the subducting Nazca Plate.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. Geological research suggests that the South American Plate is moving westward away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, as a result, the eastward-moving and more dense Nazca Plate is subducting under the western edge of the South American Plate, along the continent's Pacific coast, at a rate of 77 mm (3.0 in) per year. The collision of these two plates is responsible for lifting the massive Andes Mountains and for creating the numerous volcanoes that are present throughout them.

References:

https://www.earthquakeauthority.com/Blog/2020/Understanding-Plate-Tectonic-Theory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_Ridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_Plate#:~:text=The%20South%20American%20Plate%20is,of%20the%20Mid%2DAtlantic%20Ridge.