What are the 3 plates of the earth?
There are three kinds of plate tectonic boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries. This image shows the three main types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform.
What are the plates that move about Earth’s surface?
Earth’s crust, called the lithosphere, consists of 15 to 20 moving tectonic plates. The plates can be thought of like pieces of a cracked shell that rest on the hot, molten rock of Earth’s mantle and fit snugly against one another.
What are 3 forms of evidence for plate tectonic movement?
There is variety of evidence that supports the claims that plate tectonics accounts for (1) the distribution of fossils on different continents, (2) the occurrence of earthquakes, and (3) continental and ocean floor features including mountains, volcanoes, faults, and trenches.
What are the 3 causes of plate movement?
Mantle dynamics, gravity, and Earth’s rotation taken altogether causes the plate movements. However, convectional currents are the general thought for the motion.
What happens when two tectonic plates move away from each other?
A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust. When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary.
What are the three types of plate movement?
The three types of plate movement are divergent, convergent and transform plate boundaries. Divergent occurs when two tectonic plates move away from the other.
What are the names of the major plates of the Earth?
The Earth has seven major tectonic plates and some smaller plates. The plates float on a weaker upper mantle or asthenosphere. They are named after the major continents and ocean floors that they encompass. Some major plates include the Pacific Plate, the North American Plate, the South American Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the African Plate.
How are the different types of plate boundaries different?
Plate boundaries interact with each other in 3 primary ways. The types of plate tectonic boundaries are divergent, convergent, and transform (conservative). DIVERGENT PLATES: Divergent plates pull apart from each other. CONVERGENT PLATES: Convergent plates push boundaries together.