what are the types of tectonic plates

Tectonic Plates - Key takeaways

• The lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates.
• There are seven major tectonic plates - the African, Antarctic, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, North American, Pacific and South American tectonic plates.
• Tectonic plates are able to float on the mantle due to the composition of the rocks within the plates that make them less dense than the mantle.

Full Answer

What are the three tectonic plate boundaries?

Plate boundaries

• Destructive plate boundary. A destructive plate boundary is sometimes called a convergent or tensional plate margin. ...
• Collision zones. Collision zones form when two continental plates collide. ...
• Constructive plate boundary. A constructive plate boundary, sometimes called a divergent plate margin, occurs when plates move apart.
• Conservative plate boundary. ...

What are the 3 types of convergent plate boundaries?

• There are three types of convergent plate boundaries: oceanic-oceanic boundaries, oceanic-continental boundaries, and continental-continental boundaries. Each one is unique because of the density of the plates involved.

What are three ways do tectonic plates move?

the three ways tectonic plates move. subduction, spreading, and translation. Subduction. two blocks moving toward each other, name is subduction, boundary is convergent and the cause is mountains. Spreading. two blocks moving away, name is spreading, boundary is divergent, and the cause is new crust. Translation.

What are the different types plate boundaries?

What are the 5 different types of plate boundaries?

• Divergent: extensional; the plates move apart. Spreading ridges, basin-range.
• Convergent: compressional; plates move toward each other. Includes: Subduction zones and mountain building.
• Transform: shearing; plates slide past each other. Strike-slip motion.

What are the 4 types of tectonic plates?

What are the major plate tectonic boundaries?Divergent: extensional; the plates move apart. Spreading ridges, basin-range.Convergent: compressional; plates move toward each other. Includes: Subduction zones and mountain building.Transform: shearing; plates slide past each other. Strike-slip motion.

What are the 2 main types of tectonic plates?

There are two main types of tectonic plates: oceanic and continental. Oceanic - Oceanic plates consist of an oceanic crust called "sima". Sima is made up primarily of silicon and magnesium (which is where it gets its name). Continental - Continental plates consist of a continental crust called "sial".

What are the 3 types of plate tectonic?

Divergent boundaries -- where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. Convergent boundaries -- where crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another. Transform boundaries -- where crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the plates slide horizontally past each other.

How many types of tectonic plates are there?

There are seven major plates: African, Antarctic, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, North American, Pacific and South American. The Hawaiian Islands were created by the Pacific Plate, which is the world's largest plate at 39,768,522 square miles.

Where are the tectonic plates?

In plate tectonics, Earth's outermost layer, or lithosphere—made up of the crust and upper mantle—is broken into large rocky plates. These plates lie on top of a partially molten layer of rock called the asthenosphere.

What are the 3 causes of plate movement?

Scientists have theorized three mechanisms that cause plate movement on Earth. These three mechanisms are thermal convection, ridge push, and slab pull.

What is a divergent tectonic plate?

[ dĭ-vûr′jənt ] A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving away from each other and new crust is forming from magma that rises to the Earth's surface between the two plates.

What are the 7 minor plates?

The list of Earth's minor plates includes the Arabian Plate, Caribbean Plate, Cocos Plate, Nazca Plate, Philippine Plate, Scotia Plate, and more. There are also many smaller plates throughout the world.

What is the name of this tectonic plate?

Answer and Explanation: The seven tectonic plates are the Pacific plate, North American plate, South American plate, African plate, Antarctic plate, Eurasian plate, and the Indo-Australian plate. Most of the plates are named for the continents they contain and the surrounding coast.

What are the 3 types of convergent boundaries?

Convergent boundaries , where two plates are moving toward each other, are of three types, depending on the type of crust present on either side of the boundary — oceanic or continental . The types are ocean-ocean, ocean-continent, and continent-continent.

How do the geologists identify the three 3 types of plate boundaries?

Divergent boundaries: where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. Convergent boundaries: where crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another. Transform boundaries: where crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the plates slide horizontally past each other.

What are the three types of plate boundaries?

This image shows the three main types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform. Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. Download image (jpg, 76 KB).

What are some examples of divergent plate boundaries?

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Pacific Ring of Fire are two examples of divergent plate boundaries. When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary.

What happens when two plates slide past each other?

Magma rises into and through the other plate, solidifying into granite, the rock that makes up the continents. Thus, at convergent boundaries, continental crust is created and oceanic crust is destroyed. Two plates sliding past each other forms a transform plate boundary.

What type of plate boundary is a chain of volcanoes?

A chain of volcanoes often forms parallel to convergent plate boundaries and powerful earthquakes are common along these boundaries. At convergent plate boundaries, oceanic crust is often forced down into the mantle where it begins to melt.

Where does the transform plate boundary occur?

One of the most famous transform plate boundaries occurs at the San Andreas fault zone, which extends underwater. Natural or human-made structures that cross a transform boundary are offset—split into pieces and carried in opposite directions.

What is divergent boundary?

A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust.

Which plate is the most tectonic?

Indo-Australian Plate – A major tectonic plate formed by the fusion of the Indian and Australian plates – 58,900,000 km 2 often considered two plates: Australian Plate – Major tectonic plate, originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana – 47,000,000 km 2.

How many tectonic plates are there in the lithosphere?

List of the relatively moving sections of the lithosphere of Earth. Map showing Earth's lithosphere divided into 15 principal tectonic plates. Plate tectonics map from NASA. This is a list of tectonic plates on Earth's surface. Tectonic plates are pieces of Earth's crust and uppermost mantle, together referred to as the lithosphere.

What is the name of the plate that is sandwiched between the Cocos Plate and Nazca Plate?

Caribbean Plate. Panama Plate – A small tectonic plate sandwiched between the Cocos Plate and Nazca Plate to the south and the Caribbean Plate to the north. Gonâve Microplate – Part of the boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. South Jamaica Microplate.

What is the North American plate?

North American Plate – Large tectonic plate including most of North America, Greenland and part of Siberia. – 75,900,000 km 2

What is the name of the plate that is located off the west coast of Mexico?

Rivera Plate – Small tectonic plate off the west coast of Mexico. Eurasian Plate. Adriatic Plate, also known as Apulian Plate – A small tectonic plate in the Mediterranean. Aegean Sea Plate, also known as Hellenic Plate – A small tectonic plate in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

What is a minor plate?

For purposes of this list, a minor plate is any plate with an area less than 20 million km 2 but greater than 1 million km 2 .

What is the area of a major plate?

For purposes of this list, a major plate is any plate with an area greater than 20 million km 2 .

What are the two types of tectonic plates?

There are two types of tectonic plates in the world: oceanic and continental.

what are tectonic plates?

Tectonic plates or lithospheric plates are the different fragments in which the Earth’s lithosphere is divided , that is , the most superficial layer of the planet, where the crust and the upper part of the Earth’s mantle are included . At its edges, seismic, volcanic and orogenic activity is concentrated.

Why do volcanoes form?

The volcanoes are due to the subduction of a tectonic plate below another, that is, that one is introduced below the other, penetrating the mantle and therefore coming into contact with the boiling magma, whose excess rock liquid will then be expelled in the form of rashes.

What is the name of the plate that connects India to China?

The Indo-Australian plate . As the name suggests, this plaque extends from the border of India with China and Nepal, along the entire Indian subcontinent, the Indian Ocean and all of Australia and Melanesia, culminating in New Zealand. It is the result of the merger of the old Indian and Australian plates about 50 million years ago.

What happens when plates collide?

When the plates collide, tremors, volcanoes or even mountains can occur.

Which type of plate is most likely to have a continental crust?

Continental plates . Those partially covered by the continental crust, that is, by the continents themselves, are the most predominant type of tectonic plate and generally have a continental part and another submerged in the water of the seas .

When was plate tectonics first discovered?

The theory of plate tectonics, which explains these phenomena, was formulated between 1960 and 1970, and is the result of more than two centuries of geophysical and geochemical observations, as well as the often undecipherable findings of the fossil and geological record . It was formulated based on the theory of continental drift developed in 1912 by the German Alfred Wegener (1880-1930).

What are the four types of boundaries between tectonic plates?

There are four types of boundaries between tectonic plates that are defined by the movement of the plates: divergent and convergent boundaries, transform fault boundaries, and plate boundary zones. Microplates are smaller fragments of tectonic plates that appear in plate boundary zones. The crust of our planet is constantly evolving and changing.

How many types of plate boundaries are there?

These plates move and interact with each other, and today we already know plenty about them. There are 4 different types of tectonic plate boundaries. These boundaries describe how the plates are moving, which is what we will be talking about in this article.

What is the name of the area between the plates that is a divergent boundary?

This movement is the plates pulling away from each other. The area between the plates is known as the rift zone . The thing that is common in rift zones is high volcanic activity. The plates start pulling away from each other and lava is released to create a new crust. The Horn of Africa is a famous example of a rift zone.

What type of boundary is characterized by two plates moving towards each other?

Convergent Boundaries. You probably already guessed what type of movement occurs in these boundaries. For those that didn’t, convergent boundaries happen in places where two plates meet. This means they are characterized by two plates moving towards each other.

What happens when one of the plates starts to move underneath the other?

Whenever this happens, one of the plates starts to move underneath the other one. The crust which is heavier is usually the one that moves underneath the lighter crust. Once this happens, a deep oceanic trench is formed. This trench is often close to continental land.

What are some examples of rift zones?

The Horn of Africa is a famous example of a rift zone. The Horn of Africa is a famous example of a rift zone. A second well-known example of a rift zone is the mid-Atlantic ridge. Both of these areas are known for their intense volcanic activity. This zone is placed deep underwater.

When was continental drift first proposed?

In 1915 , Alfred Wegener presented the theory of continental drift but it was not until the 1960s that it was accepted as scientifically true.

What are the different types of plate boundaries?

The different types of plate boundaries are: Divergent boundary. Convergent boundary. Transform boundary.

When did plate tectonics begin?

'pertaining to building') is a scientific theory describing the large-scale motion of the plates making up the Earth 's lithosphere since tectonic processes began on Earth between 3.3 and 3.5 billion years ago.

What is the t. e. diagram of the internal layering of Earth showing the lithosphere above?

t. e. Diagram of the internal layering of Earth showing the lithosphere above the asthenosphere (not to scale) Plate tectonics (from the Late Latin: tectonicus, from the Ancient Greek: τεκτονικός, lit. 'pertaining to building') is a scientific theory describing the large-scale motion of the plates making up the Earth 's lithosphere ...

Why do tectonic plates move?

It has generally been accepted that tectonic plates are able to move because of the relative density of oceanic lithosphere and the relative weakness of the asthenosphere . Dissipation of heat from the mantle is acknowledged to be the original source of the energy required to drive plate tectonics through convection or large scale upwelling and doming. The current view, though still a matter of some debate, asserts that as a consequence, a powerful source generating plate motion is the excess density of the oceanic lithosphere sinking in subduction zones. When the new crust forms at mid-ocean ridges, this oceanic lithosphere is initially less dense than the underlying asthenosphere, but it becomes denser with age as it conductively cools and thickens. The greater density of old lithosphere relative to the underlying asthenosphere allows it to sink into the deep mantle at subduction zones, providing most of the driving force for plate movement. The weakness of the asthenosphere allows the tectonic plates to move easily towards a subduction zone. Although subduction is thought to be the strongest force driving plate motions, it cannot be the only force since there are plates such as the North American Plate which are moving, yet are nowhere being subducted. The same is true for the enormous Eurasian Plate. The sources of plate motion are a matter of intensive research and discussion among scientists. One of the main points is that the kinematic pattern of the movement itself should be separated clearly from the possible geodynamic mechanism that is invoked as the driving force of the observed movement, as some patterns may be explained by more than one mechanism. In short, the driving forces advocated at the moment can be divided into three categories based on the relationship to the movement: mantle dynamics related, gravity related (main driving force accepted nowadays), and earth rotation related.

Why is Venus not tectonic?

One explanation for Venus's lack of plate tectonics is that on Venus temperatures are too high for significant water to be present. Earth's crust is soaked with water, and water plays an important role in the development of shear zones. Plate tectonics requires weak surfaces in the crust along which crustal slices can move, and it may well be that such weakening never took place on Venus because of the absence of water. However, some researchers remain convinced that plate tectonics is or was once active on this planet.

How many major plates are there in the lithosphere?

Earth's lithosphere is composed of seven or eight major plates (depending on how they are defined) and many minor plates. Where the plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of boundary: convergent, divergent, or transform. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain -building, and oceanic trench formation occur along these plate boundaries (or faults ). The relative movement of the plates typically ranges from zero to 100 mm annually.

Which tectonics group proposed that the oceanic crust be in motion with the continents?

However, in the plate tectonics context (accepted since the seafloor spreading proposals of Heezen, Hess, Dietz, Morley, Vine, and Matthews (see below) during the early 1960s), the oceanic crust is suggested to be in motion with the continents which caused the proposals related to Earth rotation to be reconsidered. In more recent literature, these driving forces are:

What are the three types of tectonic plates?

The landscapes of our national parks, as well as geologic hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, are due to the movement of the large plates of Earth’s outer shell.#N#There are three types of tectonic plate boundaries: 1 Plates rip apart at a divergent plate boundary, causing volcanic activity and shallow earthquakes; 2 At a convergent plate boundary, one plate dives (“subducts”) beneath the other, resulting in a variety of earthquakes and a line of volcanoes on the overriding plate; 3 Transform plate boundaries are where plates slide laterally past one another, producing shallow earthquakes but little or no volcanic activity.

What is transform plate boundary?

Transform plate boundaries are where plates slide laterally past one another, producing shallow earthquakes but little or no volcanic activity. Another large-scale feature is a hotspot, where a plate rides over a rising plume of hot mantle, creating a line of volcanoes on top of the plate.

How fast do the plates move?

For example, moving at about 2 inches (5 centimeters) per year , in our lifetime the Pacific Plate moves 10 to 15 feet (3 - 5 meters) past the North American Plate along the San Andreas Fault, a transform plate boundary in California. As Europe and Africa move away from North and South America at about 1½ inches (4 centimeters) per year, the Atlantic Ocean has opened to a width of 4,000 miles (6,000 kilometers) in the past 150 million years!

What happens when a plate rips apart?

Plates rip apart at a divergent plate boundary, causing volcanic activity and shallow earthquakes; At a convergent plate boundary, one plate dives (“subducts”) beneath the other, resulting in a variety of earthquakes and a line of volcanoes on the overriding plate;

What happens when two plates crash together?

Where plates crash together, one dives (“ subducts”) beneath the other, causing volcanoes (red triangles) to erupt on the overriding plate and earthquakes (black stars) at a variety of depths. The large white star represents the zone where plates lock together for centuries then suddenly let go, causing the largest earthquakes.

How wide is the Atlantic Ocean?

As Europe and Africa move away from North and South America at about 1½ inches (4 centimeters) per year, the Atlantic Ocean has opened to a width of 4,000 miles (6,000 kilometers) in the past 150 million years!

What causes earthquakes in Hawaii?

In places like Hawaii and Yellowstone, a plate rides over a rising plume of hot mantle, causing earthquakes and a chain of volcanoes.

Overview

Current plates

Ancient continental formations

See also

External links