Major Geological Events Caused by Plate Tectonics Types

Major Geological Events Caused by Plate Tectonics

Types of Boundaries • Divergent ― Plates move apart • Convergent ― Plates come together • Transform ― Plates slide horizontally past each other

Divergent Structures • New crust is formed as plates pull apart • Land features include: ― Mid-Ocean Ridges Ex. - Mid-Atlantic Ridge ― Rift Valleys Ex. - African Rift Valley ― Earthquakes

Mid–Ocean Ridge (Location of Sea Floor Spreading)

Sea Floor Spreading (Mid-Ocean Ridge) Older Younger Divergent Structure Older

Rift Valley Divergent Structure

Convergent Boundaries • Crust is destroyed and recycled back into the mantle • Three types of convergent collisions • Features include: ― Trenches – Mariana Trench ― Volcanic Arc (Volcanic Mountains) – Andes mountains ― Mountain Ranges – Himalayan Mountains ― Earthquakes

Subduction • Result of convergent boundary • A more dense plate slides under a less dense plate and sinks into the mantle. • Features include: ― Oceanic-Oceanic = Trenches ― Oceanic-Continental = Mountain Ranges

Subduction Examples

Convergent Boundary • Oceanic-Oceanic • Land Features – Trench and Island Arc Oceanic-Oceanic convergence

Convergent Boundary • Oceanic-Continental • Land Features – Trench and Volcanic Arc (Volcanic Mountains) Oceanic-Continental convergence

Convergent Boundary • Continental-Continental • Land Features – Folded Mountains Continental-Continental convergence

Mountain Ranges

Transform Fault Structures • Crust is neither destroyed nor created • Can occur between two oceanic plates or oceanic-continental plates • Features include: ― Earthquakes ― Fault line – San Andreas Fault

Transform Boundary • Oceanic-Oceanic • Land Feature – Fault Line

Transform Boundary San Andreas Fault Line

Transform Boundary • Continental-Continental • Land Features – Fault Line

Earthquakes – All Boundaries

Volcanoes

Mountain Ranges

Putting It All Together

Plate Boundaries

Plate Movement