Published on: 2026-07-31
Unusual Geography and Earth Science
Which of these surprising locations is actually moving the fastest across the surface of the Earth due to tectonic activity?
Correct
Australia is currently the speed demon of the tectonic world, racing northward at about 7 centimeters per year. This is so fast that cartographers have to periodically update coordinate systems just to keep their GPS data from drifting into the wrong neighborhood. The Himalayas are sluggishly rising, not racing, as they are busy crumpling under the pressure of colliding plates. The Atlantic coastline is basically just hanging out in slow motion as the ocean floor spreads. Iceland is definitely active with volcanoes, but the tectonic plate movement itself is not winning any land-speed records compared to the zippy Australian plate.