Plate Tectonics

Question 1

What is a convergent boundary and what occurs there?

Answer 1

• an area where plates move toward one another & collide
• convergent boundaries can result in the creation of mountains, volcanoes (releasing of magma), island arcs & earthquakes

Question 2

What is a divergent boundary and what occurs there?

Answer 2

• an area beneath the ocean where tectonic plates move away from each other
• divergent boundaries can result in seafloor spreading, rift valleys, volcanoes, & earthquakes (less frequent)

Question 3

What is a transform boundary and what occurs there?

Answer 3

• an area where tectonic plates move sideways past each other
• no ridges or volcanoes, tends to have shallow earthquakes, more frequent

Question 4

Seafloor spreading

Answer 4

• formation of new ocean crust as a result of magma pushing upward & outward from Earth’s mantle to the surface