divergent plate boundaries

Mid-ocean ridges located along divergent plate boundaries. A divergent boundary forms where two plates separate. When the seafloor spread at a mid-ocean ridge, lava erupts, cools, and forms new oceanic crust. divergent plate boundaries can also exist in the middle of a continent. They pull continents apart and form rift valleys. The east african Rift is an example of a continental rift.

when two plates separate and create new oceanic crust, a divergent plate boundary forms. this process occurs where the seafloor spreads along a mid-ocean ridge, as shown to the right. This process can also occur in the middle of continents and is referred to as a continental rifting.

transform plate boundaries

The famous San Andreas Fault in California is example of a transform plate boundary. a transform plate boundary forms where two plates slide past each other. As they move past each other, the plate can get stuck and stop moving. stress builds up where the plates are “stuck.” Eventually, the stress is too great and the rocks break, suddenly moving apart. this results in a rapid release of energy as earthquakes.

convergent plate boundaries form where two plates collide. The denser plate sink below the more buoyant plate collide, the subduction. The area where a denser plate descends into Earth along a convergent plate boundary is called a subduction zone.

convergent plate boundary (ocean -to continent )

AN oceanic and a continental plate collide, they form a convergent plate boundary. The denser plate will subduct. A volcanic mountain, such as Mount Rainer in the Cascade Mountains, forms along the edge of the continent. This process can also occur where two oceanic plates collide, and the denser plate is subducted.