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Actually, the Yellowstone hot spot is stationary. It's the North American continental plate that is moving westward over the hot spot. If you look at a geologic

Actually, the Yellowstone hot spot is stationary. It's the North American continental plate that is moving westward over the hot spot. If you look at a geological map, you can trace the path. It's similar to the Hawaiian island chain in the pacific and it's hot spot. Older islands trend to the northwest as the pacific plate has moved eastward.

kissickas 11y ago
The Pacific plate is moving northwest, which is why the older islands are there... the hotspot stays in the same place, which is why the newer Big Island Hawai'i emerged southeast of the older islands. I think you had it right but just miswrote.
- sizzzzlerz 11y ago
  D'oh! Absolutely correct, kissickas. My fingers engaged before my brain.
kbutler 11y ago
Stationary relative to what? And remember the earth is rotating...
- Pyrodogg 11y ago
  I remember having a "relativity" revelation as a kid riding in the back of our car. So we're cruising down the highway. But wonder, what if I could just stop. I would zip through the back of the car, being stationary on the road and watch the car zoom away. But wait... I know the earth is rotating too, and we're driving east. So if I stopped, then the car would be zooming forward on the road, but the road itself would be zooming forward even faster than the car's (relative) speed! But wait... The earth isn't just rotating, it orbits the sun. If I stopped, the road and the car on it, wouldn't just be going forward, they would be falling away at an even greater speed. Within seconds, I'd be floating in space at a snapshot point in the earths rotation and the earth would be cruising away from me. But wait... The sun moves too! If I were sitting in my car, on the road, on earth, and just stopped, Things would be moving away even quicker than before. Around this point, the wondering switched from bigger frames of reference to paradoxies if space were a thing we were moving through. In one second, our car would move a certain distance on the road. But the road was also moving so we really traveled an extra special distance forward. And the place we came from wasn't just one second back on the road, it couldn't be given all that extra motion. But it was literally just one second ago, how could it not be that same definite spot on the road. My young mind was blown. Consequently, my current mind is also blown having typed that out. Spacetime is weird, I need to go clear my head. It's currently being smeared across the solar system at speeds in excess of 100,000km/h
  - omegant 11y ago
    It would be great to create an animation with the different movements you just described!
knodi123 11y ago
> Actually, the Yellowstone hot spot is stationary. It's the North American continental plate that is moving westward over the hot spot. Actually, the north american plate is stationary. It's the stuff underneath that is rotating eastward. Now, show me how to tell the difference between those scenarios. :-P
- tonyarkles 11y ago
  Observe from above? Geosynchronous satellites? If you want to do it from the surface, sunrise and sunset times? That will tell you whether or not your position has shifted relative to the Earth's rotation.
  - knodi123 11y ago
    Ah, but that just raises more issues. Geosynchronous satellites are by definition pegged to a relative spot over the earth's surface. And the earth spins constantly, inside and out. The question is, is there any difference between the core spinning slightly slower, vs. the crust spinning slightly faster (assuming zero acceleration)? To a godlike observer outside of the plane of the ecliptic, I'm not sure the idea of one being stationary and the other "slipping" in some direction even has meaning.

kissickas 11y ago

The Pacific plate is moving northwest, which is why the older islands are there... the hotspot stays in the same place, which is why the newer Big Island Hawai'i emerged southeast of the older islands. I think you had it right but just miswrote.

sizzzzlerz 11y ago
D'oh! Absolutely correct, kissickas. My fingers engaged before my brain.

kbutler 11y ago

Stationary relative to what? And remember the earth is rotating...

Pyrodogg 11y ago
I remember having a "relativity" revelation as a kid riding in the back of our car. So we're cruising down the highway. But wonder, what if I could just stop. I would zip through the back of the car, being stationary on the road and watch the car zoom away. But wait... I know the earth is rotating too, and we're driving east. So if I stopped, then the car would be zooming forward on the road, but the road itself would be zooming forward even faster than the car's (relative) speed! But wait... The earth isn't just rotating, it orbits the sun. If I stopped, the road and the car on it, wouldn't just be going forward, they would be falling away at an even greater speed. Within seconds, I'd be floating in space at a snapshot point in the earths rotation and the earth would be cruising away from me. But wait... The sun moves too! If I were sitting in my car, on the road, on earth, and just stopped, Things would be moving away even quicker than before. Around this point, the wondering switched from bigger frames of reference to paradoxies if space were a thing we were moving through. In one second, our car would move a certain distance on the road. But the road was also moving so we really traveled an extra special distance forward. And the place we came from wasn't just one second back on the road, it couldn't be given all that extra motion. But it was literally just one second ago, how could it not be that same definite spot on the road. My young mind was blown. Consequently, my current mind is also blown having typed that out. Spacetime is weird, I need to go clear my head. It's currently being smeared across the solar system at speeds in excess of 100,000km/h
- omegant 11y ago
  It would be great to create an animation with the different movements you just described!

knodi123 11y ago

> Actually, the Yellowstone hot spot is stationary. It's the North American continental plate that is moving westward over the hot spot. Actually, the north american plate is stationary. It's the stuff underneath that is rotating eastward. Now, show me how to tell the difference between those scenarios. :-P

tonyarkles 11y ago
Observe from above? Geosynchronous satellites? If you want to do it from the surface, sunrise and sunset times? That will tell you whether or not your position has shifted relative to the Earth's rotation.
- knodi123 11y ago
  Ah, but that just raises more issues. Geosynchronous satellites are by definition pegged to a relative spot over the earth's surface. And the earth spins constantly, inside and out. The question is, is there any difference between the core spinning slightly slower, vs. the crust spinning slightly faster (assuming zero acceleration)? To a godlike observer outside of the plane of the ecliptic, I'm not sure the idea of one being stationary and the other "slipping" in some direction even has meaning.