Name Types Of Plate Boundaries
Name Types Of Plate Boundariest
There are 3 types of plate boundaries and a fourth called a “plate boundary zone” in which the type of plate boundary is not clearly defined. Go to the website: and learn about the three types of plate boundaries and answer the questions below.
1. What are the three types of plate boundaries?
2. What directions do the plates move relative to one another in a divergent plate boundary?
3. What is a spreading center and what is made at one?
4. Name one spreading center (or divergent plate boundary).
5. What are the three types of convergent plate boundaries?
6. What two kinds of crust are involved in a subduction zone?
7. What type of convergent boundary is the Himalaya Mountains formed by?
8. What happens along a transform plate boundary?
9. Name a famous transform fault in western North America.
10. Which plates are sliding past each other along the San Andreas Fault?
Plate Boundary Interactions: Now go to the website: and click on “Go directly to Plate Tectonics Activity”.
11. Drag each of the arrows in the activity to see the plate interactions. List from left to right each type of plate boundary shown in the activity.
Now, go to and scroll down to the “Seafloor Spreading” picture and click on the picture. Wait a few seconds for it to load, and there should be a movie.
12. What is happening to the plates at the red line in the center of the screen?
13. What is the red line?
Now go to and click on the picture labeled “Subduction”. Wait for it to load, and there should be another movie.
14. What two kinds of convergence are shown in the movie?
Plate Tectonic Maps: Now go to and you will see a plate tectonic map of the world. Rest the mouse on the bottom right corner of the map and after a couple of seconds an enlargement icon should appear. Click on this icon to see the map in full size. Now you can use the scroll bars on the side and bottom to maneuver around the map.
15. Using the key at the bottom of the map, what is happening in Idaho, tectonically speaking?
16. Scroll over to Asia and locate the Java Trench. This is where the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate interact. What kind of plate interaction occurs here, that was responsible for the December 26, 2004 tsunami?
Now open 17. How does the plate boundary along the Pacific Northwest of the United States change over time? Now go to. Wait for the movie to download. This is a movie showing how the plates looked around 150 million years ago, when all the continents were together forming the “supercontinent” Pangea, and how the plates moved through time to their present configuration.
18. What continents did North America used to be attached to during Pangea time?
Hot Spots: Now, go to the website: to read and learn about hot spots. Name ______________________________
Locate the Epicenter: Typical seismogram of a small earthquake recorded fairly near the source. The P-waves arrive first and are later swamped by the arrival of the S-waves. The S-P interval is the time between the first arrivals of the P and S waves; it is used to determine the distance from the epicenter. This interaction produces additional seismic waves (phases) which will be detected by seismographs.
You’ll need 3 stations’ data to locate an earthquake’s epicenter. The following steps need to be taken to determine the epicenter’s location: · Determine the time difference between the P and S wave arrival. · Determine the epicenter’s distance from the station by using the P/S wave graph. · Triangulate the epicenter’s exact location using the map/compass method. Locate the Epicenter: 1) Measure the S-P interval from the 3 seismograms given on the last page (you may tear it off), and enter the results in the table below. Use the S-P travel time curve (2nd to last page) to determine the distance between the station and the epicenter and enter the data into table 1. Table 1: Station | S-P (sec) | Distance (Km). Elko, Eureka, Las Vegas.
2) Take a compass and set its radius to the epicenter distance for each station and draw arcs around each station (map is on next page). Ideally, the three arcs should intersect at a single point, which is the epicenter; if they do not, you should go back and check your work. Clearly mark the location of the epicenter. Is there a known fault in the vicinity of the epicenter that is likely to have slipped to create the earthquake? If so, name the fault.
P waves travel between 6 and 13 km/sec. S waves are slower and travel between 3.5 and 7.5 km/sec. In most regions, study of numerous earthquakes with well-known epicenter locations results in an empirical S-P curve, such as the one shown above.
Coordinates: Latitude and Longitude of the epicenter based on seismic data. Plate boundaries by Coordinates: Name the two diverging plates, the two sliding plates, and check one Convergent Plate Boundary, Divergent Plate Boundary, Transform Plate Boundary. Indicate the relative directions of motion and list known hotspots associated with the region.
Paper For Above instruction
The Earth's surface is continually shaped and reshaped by the dynamic movements of tectonic plates. These plates interact primarily in three ways—divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries—each playing a crucial role in geological processes such as mountain formation, earthquakes, and seafloor spreading. Understanding these interactions is fundamental to comprehending the Earth's geological activity and the formation of various landforms.
Types of Plate Boundaries
The three primary types of plate boundaries are divergent, convergent, and transform. Divergent boundaries occur where two plates move away from each other, typically along mid-ocean ridges. In these regions, magma rises from the mantle to create new crust, exemplifying seafloor spreading. An example of a divergent boundary is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and North American plates are moving apart, creating new oceanic crust and extending the Atlantic Ocean.
Convergent boundaries happen when two plates move towards each other. Depending on the crust involved, these can produce mountain ranges, deep oceanic trenches, or volcanic activity. Subduction zones, a type of convergent boundary, involve one oceanic plate sliding beneath a continental or another oceanic plate, leading to the formation of deep trenches like the Peru-Chile Trench and volcanic arcs such as the Ring of Fire. The Himalayas, however, are formed from continental-continental collision, a different type of convergent boundary.
Transform boundaries are characterized by plates sliding past each other horizontally. These boundaries are marked by significant fault systems like the San Andreas Fault in California. Plates along such faults, including the Pacific Plate and North American Plate, move laterally, causing earthquakes along the fault line. These interactions account for some of the most energetic seismic events on Earth.
Plate Boundary Zones and Specific Features
Plate boundary zones, or zones where the boundary type is not clearly defined, often occur near complex fault systems or transition zones. For instance, the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate exhibits both transform and strike-slip characteristics, especially along the San Andreas Fault. Such zones are critical areas for earthquake studies because of their complex interactions and seismic activity.
Seafloor Spreading and Hot Spots
Seafloor spreading is a process where new oceanic crust is created at divergent boundaries, especially along mid-ocean ridges, and spreads outward. This phenomenon is driven by mantle convection and results in the widening of ocean basins. Additionally, hot spots—areas of volcanic activity caused by mantle plumes—occur independent of plate boundaries. Notable hot spots include the Hawaiian Hot Spot and Yellowstone Hot Spot, which have created volcanic islands and calderas over millions of years, illustrating mantle-plume activity's role in shaping Earth's surface.
Plate Movements Through Time and Geological Evidence
Historical studies and geophysical data reveal that plate movements have not only shaped current landforms but also have evolved significantly over geological time. For example, during the era of Pangea, all continents were joined, and their subsequent breakup and drift led to the current distribution of continents. The Pacific Northwest's boundary features, for instance, have changed over millions of years due to shifts in subduction zones and fault dynamics.
Impacts of Plate Interactions
The interactions between plates have profound effects on Earth's surface, including the formation of mountain ranges like the Himalayas through continental collision, oceanic trenches through subduction, and earthquake activity along transform faults. The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by a massive earthquake along the Sumatra-Andaman subduction zone, a convergence of the Indo-Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate, illustrating the destructive potential of plate interactions.
Seismic Monitoring and Epicenter Location
The process of locating earthquake epicenters involves analyzing seismic waves detected at multiple stations. By measuring the time difference between P-wave and S-wave arrivals, scientists can estimate the distance to the epicenter with tools like seismograms and the S-P travel time curve. Triangulation using data from three or more stations allows precise pinpointing of the earthquake’s origin, essential for understanding seismic hazards and fault activity.
Conclusion
In sum, the Earth's lithosphere is segmented into tectonic plates whose interactions—whether diverging, converging, or sliding past each other—drive the planet’s geological activity. These processes continue to shape the landscape, generate seismic phenomena, and influence the Earth's dynamic surface. Ongoing research and seismic monitoring are vital factors in comprehending and mitigating the natural hazards associated with tectonic plate interactions.
References
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