It is jokingly said that in 100 million years Los Angeles, California, will have moved far enough north to become a suburb of Anchorage, Alaska. On the basis of this observation and knowing that the Pacific Plate is moving north at the rate of 6 cm per year, approximately how far is Los Angeles from Anchorage?

The answer to the question is

Los Angeles is 6,000 km from Anchorage

Explanation:

To solve the question we first list the variables as follows

Time duration for Pacific Plate movement of Los Angeles California to Anchorage, Alaska = 100 million years

Speed of plate movement to the north = 6 cm per year

The appropriate relation to use here is

 Therefore Distance traveled by the Pacific Plate in 100 million years is given by

Distance = Speed × Time = 6 cm × 100 million years = 6×10⁸ cm

= 6,000 km

That is Los Angeles is 6,000 km from Anchorage