Tectonic Plate Boundaries

12/11/14

Complete a foldable :]You need three tabs- one for each boundary type (convergent, divergent, transform)

The front:

Boundary type

Picture of what the plates are doing

Key word to help remember

The inside:

Definition of plate boundary (what are the plates doing?)

The different types of crust

What each type of crust forms at each boundary

Real life examples

How do the plates move?

Convection currents, in the plastic like layer of the mantle of the earth, constantly churn in a circular motion, the hot magma rises, cools, then falls back down to the core. This movement causes tectonic plates to meet at plate boundaries .

Plate BoundariesConvergent- tectonic plates collide or combine

• Divergent- tectonic plates move apart from each other

• Transform/Transverse- tectonic plates slide/grind past each other

3. Continental – Oceanic crust

• Dense oceanic plate subducts under less dense continental plate, which creates a subduction zone.

• This can create ocean trenches (rarely), and very violent subduction volcanoes such as Mt. St. Helens. Ring

of fire- Pacific Plate

Convergent Boundaries1. Continental-Continental

crust

Fold mountains, mountain ranges. EX: The Himalayas

2. Oceanic- Oceanic crust

Creates deep trenches

Sometimes volcanoes can be formed

Ex: Marianas Trench

Oceanic-continental convergence

Divergent boundaries

Continental- Continental crust

Forms Rift Valleys, water can fill in the rift (new ocean)

Ex: The Great African Rift

Oceanic- Oceanic crust

Remember the seafloor spreading theory??

Forms mid ocean ridges

Older crust is found further away from the ridge, while younger crust is found just near the ridge.

Ex: Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Transform boundaries

Forms Transform Faults and fault lines (zones)

Ex: The San Andreas Fault line- North American Plate and the Pacific Plate

Remember! :]

Convergent- collide

Divergent- divide

Transform plates- slide