Plate Boundaries

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Rin

Cards (32)

Plates 
Sections of the Earth's crust and upper mantle (Lithosphere) that slowly move over the asthenosphere, carrying pieces of continental and oceanic crust
Theory of Plate Tectonics 
The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle
What makes the plates move
Convection currents in the mantle move the plates as the core heats the slowly-flowing asthenosphere (the elastic/plastic-like part of the mantle)
Fault 
Breaks in Earth's crust where rocks have slipped past each other, located at the edges of Earth's plates
Types of Plate Boundaries
Divergent Boundaries
Convergent Boundaries
Transform Boundaries
Divergent Boundaries 
A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other, causing rifting and seafloor spreading
What happens at Divergent Boundaries
Rock gets thin in the middle as it is pulled apart, causing rifting on continents and seafloor spreading in the ocean
Features of Divergent Boundaries
Mid-ocean ridges
Rift valleys
Fissure volcanoes
Convergent Boundaries 
A plate boundary where two plates move towards each other, causing one plate to subduct under the other
Types of Convergent Boundaries
Ocean plate colliding with continental plate (Subduction Zone)
Ocean plate colliding with ocean plate (Subduction Zone)
Continental plate colliding with continental plate (Collision Zone)
What happens at Convergent Boundaries
Volcanoes occur at subduction zones
Transform Boundaries 
A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions, causing shearing and earthquakes
What happens at Transform Boundaries
Rock is pushed in two opposite directions, causing shearing and earthquakes, like the San Andreas Fault
Stress at Plate Boundaries
Divergent - Rifting (Pulling apart)
Convergent - Compression (Pushing together)
Transform - Shearing (Sliding past)
Match the Plate Boundary to the Diagram
Divergent
Convergent
Transform
Plates 
Sections of the Earth's crust and upper mantle (Lithosphere) that slowly move over the asthenosphere, carrying pieces of continental and oceanic crust
Theory of Plate Tectonics 
The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle
What makes the plates move
Convection currents in the mantle move the plates as the core heats the slowly-flowing asthenosphere (the elastic/plastic-like part of the mantle)
Fault 
Breaks in Earth's crust where rocks have slipped past each other, located at the edges of Earth's plates
Types of Plate Boundaries
Divergent Boundaries
Convergent Boundaries
Transform Boundaries
Divergent Boundaries 
A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other, causing rifting and seafloor spreading
What happens at Divergent Boundaries
Rock gets thin in the middle as it is pulled apart, causing rifting and seafloor spreading
Features of Divergent Boundaries
Mid-ocean ridges
Rift valleys
Fissure volcanoes
Convergent Boundaries 
A plate boundary where two plates move towards each other, causing one plate to subduct under the other
Types of Convergent Boundaries
Ocean plate colliding with continental plate (subduction zone)
Ocean plate colliding with ocean plate (subduction zone)
Continental plate colliding with continental plate (collision zone)
What happens at Convergent Boundaries
Volcanoes occur at subduction zones
Transform Boundaries 
A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions, causing shearing and earthquakes
What happens at Transform Boundaries
Rock is pushed in two opposite directions, causing shearing and earthquakes
Stress at Divergent Boundaries
Rock gets thin in the middle as it is pulled apart
Stress at Convergent Boundaries
Rock is forced upward as it is squeezed
Stress at Transform Boundaries
Rock is pushed in two opposite directions
Plate Boundary Diagrams 
Divergent
Convergent
Transform