Tectonic Plates 🚨 Flashcards
How many plates is the earths crust divided into?
8 main and several minor plates
How do the tectonic plates move?
Intense heat from the core creates convection currents in the semi molten mantle.
These rotating convection currents are very powerful and move plates floating on mantle
Name all 4 boundaries
Constructive plate
Collision
Conservative
Destructive
What happens at a constructive plate boundary?
Occurs when two plates move apart.
New crust is formed as rising magma solidifies onto the edge of the plates as they move apart.
What is formed at a constructive plate boundary?
Mid- ocean ridge of submarine mountains
Form as rising magma pushes up the edge of the plates.
Gentle volcanoes and earthquakes occur
What happens at a collision boundary?
Occurs where two continental plates are being pushed together.
The rocks forming the edge of the continents are folded,buckled and uplifted to form a massive range of fold mountains.
What occurs at a collision boundary?
Earthquakes occur as crust is crumpled and compressed by the pressure of the two plates being pushed together.
What happens at a conservative boundary?
Two plates slide past each other.
Crust is neither destroyed or formed.
What occurs at a conservative boundary?
The friction between the two plates build up when they lock together.
Violent earthquakes occur as they slip, volcanoes are rare.
What happens at a destructive boundary?
Occurs when two plates are being pushed together.
Crust is destroyed as the oceanic plate slides beneath the continental plate into the mantle.
What occurs at a destructive boundary?
Violent volcanoes and earthquakes.
Because of intense pressure involved.
Rocks along the edge of the continental plate are folded, buckled and uplifted by the pressure of two plates pushing together forming fold mountains.
What is subduction
A deep ocean trench occurs along the floor at the boundary between the two plates. The area where one plate sinks beneath the other and melts is called a subduction zone process called subduction.
