Tectonic Plates and Their Interactions

Front

The Earth's lithosphere is broken into giant chunks called tectonic plates.

Back

Tectonic plates are large sections of the Earth's lithosphere.

Front

Tectonic plates float on the partially melted asthenosphere beneath.

Back

The asthenosphere is a semi-fluid layer on which tectonic plates float.

Front

Convection currents in the asthenosphere cause the plates to move.

Back

Convection currents are movements within the asthenosphere that drive plate motion.

Front

Magma underground is heated, expands, and becomes less dense.

Back

Heated magma rises because it becomes less dense.

Front

Magma cools, becomes more dense, and sinks back down.

Back

Cooling magma becomes denser and sinks, creating a cycle.

Front

Seismic activity includes earthquakes, volcanoes, and deep-sea trenches.

Back

These are common results of tectonic plate interactions.

Front

Convergent plate boundaries involve two plates colliding.

Back

Convergent boundaries can cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains.

Front

The type of crust involved in convergent boundaries determines subduction.

Back

Subduction occurs when one plate sinks under another.

Front

Example of convergent boundary: Peru-Chile Trench/Andes Mountains.

Back

These are formed by the collision of tectonic plates.

Front

Magma rises in the middle of a ridge at divergent boundaries.

Back

This process creates new crust as magma solidifies.