Plate Boundaries and Associated Hazards

Introduction

Real action in tectonics occurs along the edges of tectonic plates, known as plate boundaries or margins.
Plate boundaries are critical in understanding geological hazards.

Location: Where magma rises in the mantle, cools, and spreads to form new crust.
- Mostly found at the ocean floor, e.g., Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
- Land example: Iceland, where plates are visibly splitting apart.
Hazards:
- Volcanoes: Magma and gases like CO2 erupt through the crust.
- Earthquakes: Occur but are generally less powerful since plates move apart.

Types:
- Oceanic-Continental: Oceanic plate subducts under the continental plate.
  - Process: Subduction involves oceanic plate sinking, taking water and plankton with it.
  - Hazards:
    - Volcanic Eruptions: Gas and lava are expelled violently due to pressure build-up.
    - Earthquakes: Powerful due to plates grinding and getting stuck and then releasing stored energy.
- Collision Boundaries (Continental-Continental):
  - Process: Two continental plates of similar density crash and crumple upwards, forming mountains.
  - Examples: Formation of the Himalayas from Indian and Eurasian plate collision.
  - Hazards:
    - Earthquakes: Plates get locked, energy builds, and release causes earthquakes.
    - No Volcanoes: No magma rising, just mountain formation.

Location: Where two tectonic plates slide past each other.
- Occur in either opposite directions or the same direction at different speeds.
Hazards:
- Earthquakes: Plates get stuck and then release energy, causing ground shaking.
- No Volcanoes: No magma activity beneath the crust.

Understanding plate boundaries is key to predicting and understanding geological hazards like earthquakes and volcanoes.
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