Lecture on Plate Boundaries

Introduction

• Focus on tectonic plate boundaries (also called plate margins).
• Areas where one tectonic plate is next to another.

Types of Plate Boundaries

Constructive (Divergent) Boundaries

• Occur where magma rises in the mantle below, cools, and creates new crust.
• Often found at the bottom of the sea (e.g., visible in Iceland).
• Hazards:
  • Volcanoes: Magma and gases like carbon dioxide melt through and erupt out of the crust.
  • Earthquakes: Occur but are generally not powerful due to plates mostly moving apart.

Destructive (Convergent) Boundaries

• Plates move towards each other; two types exist:

  Oceanic-Continental Convergence

  • Subduction: Denser oceanic plate is forced under the continental plate.
  • Water and organic material dragged into the mantle turns into gases that cause volcanic eruptions.
  • Hazards:
    • Volcanoes: Explosive eruptions due to gas and lava builds-up.
    • Earthquakes: Very powerful, caused by plates getting stuck and then jolting.

  Continental-Continental Collision

  • Plates of similar density collide and crumple upwards, forming mountain ranges (e.g., Himalayas).
  • Hazards:
    • Earthquakes: Result from plates getting stuck and then jolting.
    • Note: No volcanoes as magma doesn't rise from below.

Conservative (Transform) Boundaries

• Tectonic plates slide past each other.
• Plates neither constructed nor destroyed.
• Hazards:
  • Earthquakes: Result from edges getting stuck and then jolting back into movement.
  • Note: No volcanoes due to lack of rising magma.

Conclusion

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