Tectonic Plates: DISTRIBUTION!

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Tectonic Plates: Distribution!

  • Heat rising and falling inside the mantle creates convection currents generated by radioactive decay in the core. The convection currents move the plates. Where convection currents diverge near the Earth's crust, plates move apart. Where convection currents converge, plates move towards each other. The movement of the plates, and the activity inside the Earth, is called plate tectonics.
  • Plate tectonics cause earthquakes and volcanoes. The point where two plates meet is called a plate boundary. Earthquakes and volcanoes are most likely to occur either on or near plate boundaries.
  • Different plate boundaries
  • At a tensional, constructive or divergent boundary the plates move apart.
  • At a compressional, destructive or convergent boundary the plates move towards each other.
  • At a conservative or transform boundary the plates slide past each other.
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