04 Plate Boundaries

Plate Boundaries
and
Corresponding Geologic
Processes
Review of what we have learned so far
Plate Tectonics: The New Paradigm

Plate tectonics yields a unified explanation for:
– Earth’s major surface processes
– The distribution of earthquakes
– The distribution of volcanoes
– The origin of continents and ocean basins
– The past distributions of plants and animals.
– The mechanism for deformation and orogenesis.
– The driving engine of the rock cycle
The Driving Mechanism
TECTONIC PLATES
8 MINOR
PLATES
- Juan de Fuca
Juan de - PlateScotia Plate
- Cocos Plate
Fuca
Indian
Cocos
- Arabian Plate
- Carribean Plate
- Indian Plate
- Nazca Plate
- Philippine Plate
7 MAJOR PLATES
Pacific Plate African Plate
Eurasian Plate Indo-Australian
North American Plate South American Plate
Antarctic Plate
LITHOSPHERIC PLATES or simply
PLATES may look like they are not moving and
may look like just fragmented crusts…
Although they may look static, but these plates are

constantly moving. They may move towards each other, away
from each other and past each other.
Where the interaction happens? At PLATE BOUNDARIES

Plate Boundaries
• Plates interact along their boundaries
• 3 Types of plate boundaries

A. Divergent boundaries (constructive margins)
B. Convergent boundaries (destructive margins)
C. Transform fault boundaries (conservative margins)

A. Divergent Plate Boundaries
Constructive plate boundary
- Plates are pulled apart from one another.
- magma rises through the separated slabs, immediately solidifies

forming Basaltic Volcanic Igneous Rocks – this became the new
material of the oceanic crust.
Beneath continental crust, Beneath oceanic crust, this

this is called a rift. is a spreading ridge.
As the oceanic crust is pulled apart, magma will rise from
the aesthenosphere – results to volcanism – constructive
Spreading in
continental
crusts.
Continental rifts
often evolve into
oceanic ridges.
(That is how Pangea
split up).
©, 2002, DIGIT, Prentice-Hall

B. Convergent Plate Boundaries
Destructive plate boundary
Lithospheric plates meet together – collide against each other. Thus,
destruction happens. Destroyed and deformed.
Have TWO TYPES OF ZONES
1. SUBDUCTION ZONE. – destruction (remelted)

If two lithospheric plates meet, one plate goes underneath the other…
Trench – is the imaginary line of the intersection of the two
plates (plane)
VOLCANISM is present.
Series of Volcanoes found along these zone – form volcanic

igneous rocks.
Trench – is the imaginary line of the intersection of the two

plates (plane)
2. COLLISION ZONE. – deformation - orogenesis
If two lithospheric plates meet, BUT NEITHER one goes

beneath the other… they just collide and pile one on top of
the other – forming mountains.
No trench here, series of mountains are located here

SUBDUCTION ZONES and COLLISION ZONES.
Different Types of Convergent Plate Boundaries
- due to the difference of the crusts.
1. Oceanic-Continental convergence
(Subduction Zone Boundary)
1. Oceanic-Continental
convergence (Subduction
Zone Boundary)
2. Oceanic-oceanic convergence (Island Arc
Boundary – still subduction zone boundary)
2. Oceanic-oceanic
convergence (Island Arc
Boundary – still subduction
zone boundary)
3. Continental-continental convergence (Collision boundary)
Buoyant continental lithosphere doesn’t subduct; instead, the trench is jammed,

subduction ceases.
Collision sutures crust and produces the largest mountains (Himalayas, Alps,
Appalachians) - Double crustal thickening – a large welt of buoyant continental
crust floats high.
Can we find
volcanoes in
Continental-
continental
convergence
(Collision boundary)

3. Continental-continental convergence (Collision boundary)

C. Transform Fault Plate Boundaries
Conservative - lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed
Continental Transforms
San Andreas, California
Alpine Fault, New Zealand
North and South of the Caribbean and Scotia plates
What do we know so far?
1. Volcanism do occur in divergent plate boundaries
and convergent plate boundaries
2. Rocks are formed along divergent and convergent

boundaries – igneous rocks
3. Mountains are formed along convergent plate
boundaries
4. Earthquakes occur in all plate boundaries.
Movement will cause movement of rocks resulting to
tremor or quakes of the earth.
Plate Tectonics: The New Paradigm
Plate tectonics yields a unified explanation for:
– Earth’s major surface processes
– The distribution of earthquakes
– The distribution of volcanoes
– The origin of continents and ocean basins
– The past distributions of plants and animals.
– The mechanism for deformation and orogenesis.
– The driving engine of the rock cycle
World Distribution of Active Volcanoes

04 Plate Boundaries

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Plate Boundaries

Plate Tectonics: The New Paradigm

Although they may look static, but these plates are

Where the interaction happens? At PLATE BOUNDARIES

• Plates interact along their boundaries

• 3 Types of plate boundaries

B. Convergent boundaries (destructive margins)

C. Transform fault boundaries (conservative margins)

- magma rises through the separated slabs, immediately solidifies

Beneath continental crust, Beneath oceanic crust, this

©, 2002, DIGIT, Prentice-Hall

Have TWO TYPES OF ZONES

1. SUBDUCTION ZONE. – destruction (remelted)

Series of Volcanoes found along these zone – form volcanic

Trench – is the imaginary line of the intersection of the two

If two lithospheric plates meet, BUT NEITHER one goes

No trench here, series of mountains are located here

- due to the difference of the crusts.

Buoyant continental lithosphere doesn’t subduct; instead, the trench is jammed,

©, 2002, DIGIT, Prentice-Hall

©, 2002, DIGIT, Prentice-Hall

Conservative - lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed

2. Rocks are formed along divergent and convergent

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