Types of Tectonic Plates and Boundaries

Types of Tectonic Plates and Boundaries

What's happening in the Earth's stuffed crust?

Different Kinds of Plates

• There are two main sections of tectonic plate: continental crust and oceanic crust

• We live on continental crust; oceanic crust is under the oceans

• Continental plates are less dense; they sit on top of oceanic plates

Multiple Select

What are the two types of tectonic plates?

• Volcanic

• Mantle

• Oceanic

• Stratified

• Continental

Multiple Choice

Which type of plate is denser, continental or oceanic?

• Continental

• Oceanic

Types of Tectonic Plate Boundary

• There are three types of plate boundary:

• Diverging

• Converging

• Transform

Diverging Boundaries

• When oceanic plates move apart they form a mid-ocean ridge, which leads to seafloor spreading

Converging Boundaries

• When continental plates converge (move together) they can form mountain ranges

• When oceanic plates converge, the older, denser plate will sink under the newer plate

• Regions where one plate sinks under another are called subduction zones

• The most violent earthquakes occur near subduction zones where a continental plate converges with an oceanic plate

Transform Boundaries

• Transform boundaries occur when tectonic plates slide past each other

• California lies on the junction of two plates forming a transform boundary.

Fill in the Blanks

Converging and diverging are two of the three types of tectonic plate boundaries. What is the third type?

Fill in the Blanks

What type of plate boundary is formed when tectonic plates move toward each other?

Multiple Choice

What geological feature occurs near diverging oceanic plates?

• Mid-ocean ridge

• Subduction zone

• Mountain range

• Volcano

• Plateau

Fill in the Blanks

What name is given to the region where an oceanic plate converges under a less-dense continental plate? (Be careful of spelling!)

Multiple Choice

What type of plate boundary occurs where the Pacific and North American plates meet in California?

• Converging boundary

• Diverging boundary

• Transform boundary

Multiple Choice

Earthquakes can occur near any type of tectonic plate boundary. Where do the most violent earthquakes occur?

• Transform boundaries

• Convergent continental/oceanic boundaries

• Convergent continental/continental boundaries

• Divergent boundaries