Earth Hazards

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The Earth is made of layers like an onion an the crust (upper layer) is moved by convection currents. This is called continental drift and means that plate boundaries are formed at the edge of plates where they interact. There are four types of plate boundary.

Conservative plate boundaries occur when two plate are moving parallel to each other they can travel in the same or opposite directions and at different speeds. An example is the San Andreas fault in which the North American and pacific plates are moving in the same direction, earthquakes commonly occur near conservative plate boundaries.

Destructive plate boundaries are formed when two plates move towards each other and one moves under the other in a subduction zone. The lower plate is often liquified under the extreme pressure and heat (from the friction) leading to magma and volcanoes. An example of this is between the Nazca and South American plates.

Collision plate boundaries occur when two plate move towards each other (similar to a destructive boundary). However neither one goes under the other and so both buckle causing fold mountains to be formed. An example of this is the Himalayas formed the collision between the African and Eurasian plates

Constructive plate boundaries occur when two plates are moving away

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