Australia moves 7 centimeters closer to Asia every year
The Australian continent, along with its tectonic plate, shifts approximately 7 cm to the northeast each year. This makes it one of the fastest-moving continental landmasses on the planet.
The movement is recorded by satellite stations that have been tracking the coordinates of various points on the continent for years. The data show a synchronous shift of the territory, which has been distinguished from seasonal changes and other fluctuations.
Due to the movement of the Australian plate, the coordinate system had to be updated. By 2020, the difference between the old coordinates and the actual locations of objects had reached 1.8 meters, which created problems for navigation, construction, and precision agriculture.
The northern and eastern boundaries of the Australian Plate are already interacting with neighboring plates in the region of Indonesia, Timor, and New Guinea. These processes are accompanied by earthquakes, mountain formation, and volcanic activity.
Researchers note that the collision between Australia and Southeast Asia is, in fact, already taking place—albeit on a geological timescale.
Source: Science Blog.
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