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    Tectonic Plates and Plate Boundaries

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    Manuel Lisondra
    The document discusses the three main types of tectonic plate boundaries: convergent boundaries where plates collide, divergent boundaries where plates move apart, and transform boundaries where plates slide past each other. Convergent boundaries include subduction zones where oceanic plates are subducted under other plates, creating ocean trenches, island arcs, and mountain ranges. Divergent boundaries form new crust and can create mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys. Transform boundaries cause earthquakes as stress builds up between plates sliding past one another.

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    Tectonic Plates and Plate Boundaries

    Uploaded by

    Manuel Lisondra
    37 views2 pages
    The document discusses the three main types of tectonic plate boundaries: convergent boundaries where plates collide, divergent boundaries where plates move apart, and transform boundaries where plates slide past each other. Convergent boundaries include subduction zones where oceanic plates are subducted under other plates, creating ocean trenches, island arcs, and mountain ranges. Divergent boundaries form new crust and can create mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys. Transform boundaries cause earthquakes as stress builds up between plates sliding past one another.

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    The document discusses the three main types of tectonic plate boundaries: convergent boundaries where plates collide, divergent boundaries where plates move apart, and transform boundaries where plates slide past each other. Convergent boundaries include subduction zones where oceanic plates are subducted under other plates, creating ocean trenches, island arcs, and mountain ranges. Divergent boundaries form new crust and can create mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys. Transform boundaries cause earthquakes as stress builds up between plates sliding past one another.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    37 views2 pages

    Tectonic Plates and Plate Boundaries

    Uploaded by

    Manuel Lisondra
    The document discusses the three main types of tectonic plate boundaries: convergent boundaries where plates collide, divergent boundaries where plates move apart, and transform boundaries where plates slide past each other. Convergent boundaries include subduction zones where oceanic plates are subducted under other plates, creating ocean trenches, island arcs, and mountain ranges. Divergent boundaries form new crust and can create mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys. Transform boundaries cause earthquakes as stress builds up between plates sliding past one another.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Tectonic Plates and Plate Boundaries

    You can actually see New Zealand’s plate boundary fault at Gaunt Creek:

    https://www.geotrips.org.nz/

    The Earth’s outer shell, the lithosphere, consisting of the crust and uppermost mantle, is divided into a
    patchwork of large tectonic plates that move slowly relatively to each other. There are 7-8 major plates
    and many minor plates. Varying between 0 to 100mm per year, the movement of a plate is driven by
    convection in the underlying hot and viscous mantle.

    Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along plate
    boundaries in zones that may be anything from a few kilometres to a few hundred kilometres wide. To
    watch a simulated fly-by along New Zealand's plate boundary check out this video.

    Tectonic plates of the Earth. Arrows pointing towards one another indicate a convergent boundary
    which arrows pointing away indicate a divergent boundary.

    There are three main types of plate boundaries:

    1. Convergent boundaries: where two plates are colliding.

    Subduction zones occur when one or both of the tectonic plates are composed of oceanic crust. The
    denser plate is subducted underneath the less dense plate. The plate being forced under is eventually
    melted and destroyed.

    i. Where oceanic crust meets ocean crust

    Island arcs and oceanic trenches occur when both of the plates are made of oceanic crust. Zones of
    active seafloor spreading can also occur behind the island arc, known as back-arc basins. These are often
    associated with submarine volcanoes.

    ii. Where oceanic crust meets continental crust


    The denser oceanic plate is subducted, often forming a mountain range on the continent. The Andes is
    an example of this type of collision.

    iii. Where continental crust meets continental crust

    Both continental crusts are too light to subduct so a continent-continent collision occurs, creating
    especially large mountain ranges. The most spectacular example of this is the Himalayas.

    2. Divergent boundaries – where two plates are moving apart.

    The space created can also fill with new crustal material sourced from molten magma that forms below.
    Divergent boundaries can form within continents but will eventually open up and become ocean basins.

    i. On land

    Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts, which produce rift valleys.

    ii. Under the sea

    The most active divergent plate boundaries are between oceanic plates and are often called mid-oceanic
    ridges.

    3. Transform boundaries – where plates slide passed each other.

    The relative motion of the plates is horizontal. They can occur underwater or on land, and crust is
    neither destroyed nor created.

    Because of friction, the plates cannot simply glide past each other. Rather, stress builds up in both plates
    and when it exceeds the threshold of the rocks, the energy is released – causing earthquakes.

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