CONCEPT 2: THE MOVEMENT OF TECTONIC PLATES

• Tectonic Plates move in different directions and at different rates relative to one another
• When new crust forms at a mid ocean ridge, two plates are pushed away from each other which may then cause them to be pushed towards a different plate
• Plates interact with each other at the edges where they meet (plate boundaries)
• There are three types of plate boundaries: divergent, transform, convergent
• divergent plate boundary: where tectonic plates move apart from each other
• transform plate boundary: when tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally
• convergent plate boundary: when tectonic plates collide or come together
• At a divergent plate boundary, magma is forced upwards through fissures on the sea floor creating new seafloor spreading
• When two transform tectonic plates get stuck, pressure builds and when released causes an earthquake
• Fractures in the earths crust form at this boundary