Plate Movements Plate Boundaries And Sea Floor Spreading Model

A chain of volcanoes often forms parallel to convergent plate boundaries and powerful earthquakes are common along these boundaries.

Plate movements plate boundaries and sea floor spreading model.

Pertaining to building is a scientific theory describing the large scale motion of seven large plates and the movements of a larger number of smaller plates of earth s lithosphere since tectonic processes began on earth between 3 3 and 3 5 billion years ago. A process called sea floor spreading. Hot magma rises to the. Bathymetry the shape of the ocean floor is largely a result of a process called plate tectonics the outer rocky layer of the earth includes about a dozen large sections called tectonic plates that are arranged like a spherical jig saw puzzle floating on top of the earth s hot flowing mantle.

Plate tectonics plate tectonics seafloor spreading. Seafloor spreading is just one part of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics and the ocean floor. Subduction happens where tectonic plates crash into each other instead of spreading apart.

At subduction zones the edge of the denser plate subducts or slides beneath the less dense one. These age data also allow the rate of seafloor spreading to be. Creates new ocean floor where plates spread apart at mid ocean ridges. Samples collected from the ocean floor show that the age of oceanic crust increases with distance from the spreading centre important evidence in favour of this process.

The movements of these plates. Transform faults are so named because they are linked to other types of plate boundaries. Plate tectonics plate tectonics transform faults. In places where convection currents rise up towards the crust s surface tectonic plates move away from each other in a process known as seafloor spreading fig.

Plate tectonics from the late latin. The majority of transform faults link the offset segments of oceanic ridges. Along the third type of plate boundary two plates move laterally and pass each other along giant fractures in earth s crust. In chapter 2 you learned about plate tectonics the well proven concept that the earth s surface is split up into several dozen moving plates of rock.

As the overlying plate lifts up it also forms mountain ranges. Seafloor spreading at mid ocean ridges. Tectonicus from the ancient greek. Convection currents drive the movement of earth s rigid tectonic plates in the planet s fluid molten mantle.

Makes most of the earth s earthquakes and volcanoes. The denser lithospheric material then melts back into the earth s mantle.