PLATE BOUNDARIES

THE PLATES OF THE EARTH

• The Earth’s crust is made up of plates.

• The plates move in specific directions.

• The three directions that the plates move are labeled in relation to their boundaries.

Convergent Boundary

Plates move toward each other.

CONTINENTAL – CONTINENTAL CONVERGENT BOUNDARY

Mountains and volcanoes form

OCEANIC – OCEANIC CONVERGENT BOUNDARY

Ocean trenches form and sometimes underwater volcanoes and islands

OCEANIC – CONTINENTAL CONVERGENT BOUNDARY

Volcanoes form on the continental crust

SUBDUCTION ZONE

• This is when one tectonic plate sinks beneath the other. Usually the weaker plate sinks.

Divergent Boundary

The plates move away from each other.

OCEANIC – OCEANIC DIVERGENT BOUNDARY

Mid Ocean Ridge Forms

CONTINENTAL – CONTINENTAL DIVERGENT BOUNDARY

Transform Boundary

The plates slip past each other.

CONTINENTAL – CONTINENTAL TRANSFORM BOUNDARY

Earthquakes occur

OCEANIC – OCEANIC TRANSFORM BOUNDARY

Earthquakes and possible tsunamis