Tectonic Plates & Boundaries
What are the large pieces of Earth’s crust that move over the mantle called?
Tectonic plates
What landform is created at divergent boundaries under the ocean?
Mid-ocean ridge
What causes most earthquakes?
Movement of tectonic plates
What layer of the Earth do convection currents occur in?
The mantle
What type of boundary is the San Andreas Fault?
Transform boundary
What is the boundary called where two plates move apart?
Divergent boundary
What feature forms when one oceanic plate sinks beneath another?
Deep ocean trench
What type of boundary produces the most volcanoes?
Convergent boundary
What causes convection currents?
Heat from the Earth’s core
The Himalayas are formed by what type of plate collision?
Continental-continental convergence
What type of boundary forms when plates slide past each other?
Transform boundary
What is created when two continental plates collide?
Mountain ranges
What is the Ring of Fire?
An area around the Pacific Ocean with many volcanoes and earthquakes
How do convection currents move tectonic plates?
Rising and sinking rock pushes plates above
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of which boundary type?
Divergent boundary
What happens when two continental plates collide?
Mountains form
What is a rift valley?
A large valley formed by plates pulling apart
What happens when pressure builds up along a fault line?
An earthquake occurs
What happens when mantle material cools?
It sinks back down
Japan’s volcanic islands are formed by what process?
Subduction
Name one major tectonic plate.
(Examples: Pacific, Eurasian, Australian, African, etc.)
Name one example of a landform created by plate tectonics.
Himalayas, Andes, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, etc.
How does magma form new land?
It cools and hardens after erupting
Why are convection currents important to plate tectonics?
They are the driving force of plate movement
What type of plate boundary caused the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami?
Convergent (subduction zone)