How Much Kinetic Energy Is There in Continental Drift?

The Earth's mass is 5.972 × 10²⁴ kg. The speed of continental drift is 2.5 cm/year. If we put that together and assume that the motions that lead to continental drift extend through the entire Earth, we get a value of the total kinetic energy of continental drift of 1.9 × 10⁶ J (using \(E=\frac{mv^2}{2}\)). That's around ½ kilowatt hour or 450 kCal. That last is about the calorie count of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder Burger with Cheese.

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