Have You ever been caught staring at the mountains wondering how they were made, or have you wondered what caused that HUGE earthquake in Japan. This web-site is to help you understand confusing things like that.
There are three types of Plate boundaries, there is convergent boundary, divergent boundary and transform boundary. Here you will learn about all three and more including Pangaea.
There are three types of Plate boundaries, there is convergent boundary, divergent boundary and transform boundary. Here you will learn about all three and more including Pangaea.
Pangaea
The "Pangaea" theory is a theory many people have made. The theory is that once, along time ago all of the continents were put together to create one big continent called Pangaea. The one person who took credit for this theory was Alfred Wagener, he was not the first person to realize this. But he decided to take action in trying to prove to the world that all the continents had been connected together at one point. The proof that Wagener used was that South America and Australia fit together like a puzzle piece. The mountain ranges of different continents had similar structure. He also found that some animal and plant species were found in rocks on different continents. I don't think animals could swim ALL the way across the atlantic or pacific ocean, do you? What's your theory?
Theory of Plate Tectonics
The theory of plate tectonics is that there are plates that lay beneath the Earth's crust that move. The plates slip past each other on either convergent, divergent, or transform boundaries. This movement is what causes volcanos, earthquakes and tsunamis.
Convergent Boundaries
A convergent boundary is the place where the plates of the Earth come
together.
When they come together one plate is pushed down beneath the
other. The place where the plates collide is called a subduction zone.
There are 3 types of convergent boundaries:
1. Continental to Continental ~ makes mountains
2. Oceanic to Oceanic ~ makes new crust
3. Continental to Oceanic ~ makes volcanoes
Continental to Continental:
When two Continental plates come
together the land above it begins to
crumble up creating mountain ranges.
Oceanic to Oceanic:
When two Oceanic plates come together
Oceanic to Continental:
When one Oceanic plate and one Continental
plate come together one plate (the denser plate)
is forced under the other, then the plate
gets pushed down farther and farther into the
Earth and begins to heat up and eventually melt
causing magma to rise and create volcanoes.
Convergent boundaries can cause
volcanoes to form from old melting crust.
When two plates rub together and
they are near a convergent boundary they
could possibly cause an earthquake
together.
When they come together one plate is pushed down beneath the
other. The place where the plates collide is called a subduction zone.
There are 3 types of convergent boundaries:
1. Continental to Continental ~ makes mountains
2. Oceanic to Oceanic ~ makes new crust
3. Continental to Oceanic ~ makes volcanoes
Continental to Continental:
When two Continental plates come
together the land above it begins to
crumble up creating mountain ranges.
Oceanic to Oceanic:
When two Oceanic plates come together
Oceanic to Continental:
When one Oceanic plate and one Continental
plate come together one plate (the denser plate)
is forced under the other, then the plate
gets pushed down farther and farther into the
Earth and begins to heat up and eventually melt
causing magma to rise and create volcanoes.
Convergent boundaries can cause
volcanoes to form from old melting crust.
When two plates rub together and
they are near a convergent boundary they
could possibly cause an earthquake
Divergent Boundaries
A divergent boundary is a place where the two plates of the earth pull apart from earth. When the plates pull apart and reaches a fault the plates wobble and vibrate creating an earthquake. Sometimes when plates pull apart magma rises from the inner earth and if there is a volcanic vent on the earths surface near where the plates split then most likely the volcano will erupt.
Transform Boundaries
A transform boundary is where two tectonic plates slide past each other. When the two plates would slide by each other sometimes the plates would get caught, while they tried to pull free they would build up energy, then finally when one gets released or breaks off all the energy is let go creating the plates to wiggle rapidly creating an earthquake.