8.2.

KEY IDEA
Types of Plate Boundaries
Scientists classify boundaries between two plates according to plate
movement. There are three main types of plate boundaries: divergent,
Boundaries between plates are convergent, and transform.
described generally as divergent,
convergent, or transform, Divergent Boundaries
depending on how the plates
A divergent boundary is a boundary between two lithospheric plates that
move relative to each other.
are moving apart. Divergent boundaries are sometimes called spreading
KEY VOCABULARY centers. Most divergent boundaries lie along the ocean floorandhave —
e divergent boundary rift valleys, which are deep valleys at the center of a mid-ocean ridge.
e rift valley A rift valley runs along the entire length of the mid-ocean ridge. -
e rift The rift valley along a mid-ocean ridge forms the boundary between
° convergent boundary two diverging lithospheric plates. In a process sometimes called sea-floor
e subduction boundary spreading, molten rock forces its way upward through cracks, or rifts,
e deep-sea trench
along the valley. The molten rock cools, hardening into new oceanic crust.
e collision boundary
The older oceanic crust on either side of the valley moves away from the
e transform boundary
mid-ocean ridge.
A rift valley at a mid-ocean ridge is typically broken into segments
that are offset from each other by breaks in the lithosphere called fracture
zones. These fracture zones tend to lie perpendicular to the ridge.
Movements along fracture zones have been found to be a source of the
earthquakes that occur along mid-ocean ridges.
As shown on the plate boundary map on
pages 712-713, two examples of mid-ocean ridges are
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise.
Along the rift valleys of these ridge systems, hot springs
rise up from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
Scientists have found colonies of previously unknown
organisms living around the hydrothermal vents.

SUBDUCTION BOUNDARY The Indonesian island

of Krakatau has formed near the subduction
boundary between two oceanic plates.

Deep-sea trench
Chain of
volcanic islands

céan cean
subduction =
 Pal
CO
A convergent boundary is a boundary between two plates that are moving
toward each other, or converging. Two broad classifications for convergent
poundaries are subduction boundaries and collision boundaries.

subduction Boundaries
When an oceanic plate plunges beneath another plate, the oceanic plate -_VOCABULARY STRATEGY )
that
ig said to be subducting (suhb-DUHK-tihng) beneath the overriding plate.
The prefix sub- in the words
The boundary between the plates is called a subduction boundary. subducting and subduction means
One important feature of a subduction boundary is a long, deep trench “below.” Subduction comes from a
called a deep-sea trench that forms along the boundary. Such trenches Latin verb meaning “to draw away
are the deepest parts of the ocean floor. from below."
Subduction boundaries can occur at the convergence of two oceanic
plates or at the convergence of an oceanic plate with a continental plate.
When two oceanic plates converge, the deep-sea trench that forms is
accompanied by the formation of a chain of volcanic islands called a
volcanic island arc on the overriding plate. For example, as the Pacific Plate
subducts under the Philippine Plate, the Pacific Plate is pulled down to
form the Mariana Trench. The leading edge of the overriding Philippine
ure
Plate is marked by a chain of volcanic islands, the Mariana Islands.
When an oceanic plate converges with a continental plate, the denser
oceanic plate subducts beneath the less-dense continental plate.
A deep-sea trench forms, as shown below. A mountain chain and volcanoes
form inland on the overriding continental plate.

DIVERGENT BOUNDARY SUBDUCTION

These hydrothermal vents BOUNDARY
are on the Mid-Atlantic Mount Shasta
Ridge. is a volcano in
California that
has formed near
a subduction
boundary.

Mountain chain
: Rift valle with volcanoes
Mid-ocean ridge J
 For example, off the west coast of South America, the Nazca Plate is
subducting under the South American Plate. The Peru-Chile Trench has
formed between the plates. The Andes Mountains and active volcanoes
have formed along the western edge of the South American continent.

Collision Boundaries
If two converging plates each carry continents, the two continents may
become welded into a single, larger continent. The boundary that forms
when two continents collide and are welded into a single, larger continent
is called a collision boundary. The collision causes the crust at the
boundary to be pushed upward into a mountain range.
The highest mountains in the world, the Himalayas, lie along a
collision boundary where India is pushing northward into China at a rate
of about 5 centimeters each year. The Indian subcontinent is now welded
HIMALAYAS The world’s tallest to the Eurasian continent. The Himalayas continue to grow even higher,
| mountains, the Himalayas, have formed
| at a collision boundary. and large numbers of earthquakes occur as the two plates push together.
Mountain ranges have also formed at other collision boundaries in the
II) past. The Ural Mountains in Russia formed about 250 million years ago
when Europe collided with Siberia to form the Eurasian continent. The
Appalachian Mountains formed by the same process during the collision
of North America and northern Africa. At a much later time, the two
continents moved apart, forming the Atlantic Ocean.

Transform Boundaries
A transform boundary is a boundary between two plates that are sliding
past each other. The fracture zones that offset the segments of a mid-ocean
| ridge are transform boundaries. You will learn more about fracture zones in
Chapter 23.
Another example of a transform boundary occurs in California, where
the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate are sliding past each other
along the San Andreas Fault. Southwestern California is part of the Pacific
e- Plate, which is moving northwest. The rest of the United States is part of the
an y HSURUCH TUNG North American Plate, which is moving southeast
CLASSZONE.COM , .
Observe animations of processes that Movement along transform boundaries is not uniform. The rate of
occur along plate boundaries. movement along the San Andreas Fault may be as high as 5 centimeters pet
Keycode: ES0804 year. However, some areas have not moved in over a century.

SAN ANDREAS FAULT This photograph

shows a portion of the San Andreas
1 Fault near Taft, California.

11 178 Unit 3 Dynamic Earth

 The chart below summarizes important information about each type
of plate boundary.

SUMMARY _ Types of Plate Boundaries

Type of boundary | Process involved | Characteristic features Current examples

Divergent sea-floor spreading _ e mid-ocean ridges e Mid-Atlantic Ridge

e rift valleys : e East Pacific Rise
nt e earthquake activity at fracture zones
along mid-ocean ridges
e volcanic activity

“Convergent ocean-ocean e deep-sea trenches e islands of Indonesia

e 1 subduction © volcanic island arcs e Mariana Islands
d e earthquake activity

z» | ocean-continent e deep-sea trench bordering continent | ¢ western coast of

t _ subduction e volcanoes along coast of continent South America
° earthquake activity

continent-continent ie high continental mountain chains ¢ Himalayas

collision e earthquake activity

0 Transform plates sliding past e earthquake activity | © San Andreas Fault

each other _ @ North Anatolian Fault
(Turkey)
| e fracture zones along
mid-ocean ridges

og
ean
Bil 8.2 | Section Review
Te @ Explain how new oceanic crust is formed at a divergent boundary.
or
ic © Describe two different types of subduction boundaries. Use the plate
‘che boundary map on pages 712-713 to identify an example of each type.
© Describe what happens at a collision boundary. Identify a collision
‘ boundary on the map on pages 712-713.
per
4) Describe the movement of plates at a transform boundary, and give
some examples.

© What types of plate boundaries are not shown in the diagram on

pages 176-177?

6) CRITICAL THINKING Explain how the densities of oceanic crust

and continental crust influence what happens when an oceanic plate
converges with a continental plate.

@ GEOGRAPHY In 2001, a large earthquake related to the movements

of two plates occurred about 20 kilometers northeast of Olympia,
Washington. Use the map on pages 712-713 to identify the plates
and the type of boundary they share.

Chapter 8 Plate Tectonics 179