300
DOUBLE JEAPORDY
How do the movements of tectonic plates affect
geography and topography?
Think of...
-plate boundaries
• fault lines
• continental drift
• volcanoes
When the plates slide past each other and collide
with each other, they may cause continental drift—a
slight movement of the continents that over time will
affect relative positions and distances. Plate
movement may also cause faults in the earth’s crust,
where most earthquakes and volcanoes occur.
Earthquakes can cause severe damage, shearing, and
shifts in rocks and other landform features.
Volcanoes, which are caused by the rise of magma
and the leak of magma through cracks in the earth’s
surface, can also cause severe damage, but can also
create new geographic and topographic features,
such as hills and mountains, areas of rich and fertile
soil, and bubbling hot springs.