I know this is a strange post, but today I learned how far a continent can move in 16.6 million years !
After our family moved to Oregon in 1975, I did a bit of reading about Oregon’s geology.
Back then, geologists were argueing about the origins of two main flows of lava
in eastern Oregon at the Idaho border (now the Snake River).
Lately, I’ve been reading “ In Search of Ancient Oregon ” by Helen Morris Bishop,
and learned that back in 2002, Peter Hooper of Washington State University showed
that the “hot spot” of Yellowstone National Park actually originated with the formation
of Steens Mountain in south-east Oregon.
And the North American continent has moved westward while the hot spot stayed in place.
The answer is about 550 miles… thanks to Google Maps !