Tectonic Movements & Resulting Features
Landforms Resulting From Plate Movements
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Web-Science.net
A Middle School Level Website
NASA's Visible Earth Site
Tectonics Page
Tectonics Page
USGS Site:
Understanding Plate Boundaries
Understanding Plate Boundaries
Online Book:
This Dynamic
Earth
This Dynamic
Earth
Credit: USGS
url: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/slabs.html
url: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/slabs.html
Tectonic Plates and Boundaries
Tectonic Plates
What are Tectonic Plates?
Tectonic plates are portions of the Earth's crust that move. Each plate moves relative to
another plate. A plate can move away from another plate. A plate can move toward another
plate. A plate can slip past another plate, appearing to move in opposite directions.
another plate. A plate can move away from another plate. A plate can move toward another
plate. A plate can slip past another plate, appearing to move in opposite directions.
Why do Tectonic Plates move?
Geologists believe that convection cells in the mantle move material upward, then outward
beneath the crust. This outward movement, although slow to us, is still significant enough to
cause volcanoes, earthquakes, and build mountains. It happens on a large scale and is
powerful enough to tear a continent apart or raise mountains as high as Mt. Everest.
beneath the crust. This outward movement, although slow to us, is still significant enough to
cause volcanoes, earthquakes, and build mountains. It happens on a large scale and is
powerful enough to tear a continent apart or raise mountains as high as Mt. Everest.
What is a
tectonic plate?
(More detailed
information)
tectonic plate?
(More detailed
information)
Types of Plate Boundaries
What is a plate boundary?
A plate boundary is found at any edge of any plate. Remember that a tectonic plate is one
of the fragments of the Earth's crust. Where one fragment joins another, that line is called
a plate boundary. There are three basic types of plate boundaries.
A plate boundary is found at any edge of any plate. Remember that a tectonic plate is one
of the fragments of the Earth's crust. Where one fragment joins another, that line is called
a plate boundary. There are three basic types of plate boundaries.
What are the basic types of plate boundaries?
- divergent boundary - two plates are moving away from one another
- convergent boundary - two plates are moving into one another
- transform boundary - two plates are sliding horizontally past one another
Click this link for an illustration and further discussion:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/Vigil.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/Vigil.html