![]() The San Andreas Fault is one of the best examples of lateral plate motion. When two tectonic plates slide past each other, the place where they meet is a transform or lateral fault. This can lead to the formation of huge, high mountain ranges such as the Himalayas. Since neither plate is stronger than the other, they crumple and are pushed up. About 80% of earthquakes occur where plates are pushed together, called convergent boundaries.Īnother form of convergent boundary is a collision where two continental plates meet head-on. Examples for island arc systems underlain by. Sometimes the molten rock rises to the surface, through the continent, forming a line of volcanoes. The island arc of this system is separated from the continent by a marine basin underlain by oceanic crust. ![]() The rocks pulled down under the continent begin to melt. Subduction causes deep ocean trenches to form, such as the one along the west coast of South America. When a continental plate meets an oceanic plate, the thinner, denser, and more flexible oceanic plate sinks beneath the thicker, more rigid continental plate. The Great Rift Valley in Africa, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden all formed as a result of divergent plate motion.Ĭonvergent (Colliding): This occurs when plates move towards each other and collide. The earthquakes that occur along these zones, called spreading centers, are relatively small. Molten rock from the mantle erupts along the opening, forming new crust. The three main types of plate movements include:ĭivergent (Spreading):This is where two plates move away from each other. The movements of the plates help shape the geological features of our planet. Other plates include continents, and some plates include both continents and ocean. Plate collision can produce earthquake, volcanoes, mountains formation, and other geological event. Some of the plates have ocean water above them. A convergent plate boundary is the boundary that occur when two plates collide each other either a continental plate with continental plate or oceanic plate. When the plates finally give and slip due to the increased pressure, energy is released as seismic waves, causing the ground to shake. A subduction zone is formed at a convergent plate boundary when one or both of the tectonic plates is composed of oceanic crust. Most seismic activity occurs at three types of plate boundaries-divergent, convergent, and transform.Īs the plates move past each other, they sometimes get caught and pressure builds up. Movement in narrow zones along plate boundaries causes most earthquakes.
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