TECTONIC PLATES AND DIFFERENT
BOUNDARIES
Structure of the Earth
3 Main Layers of the Earth:
1. Core
2. Mantle
3. Crust
This is where we live
The Earth’s Curst is made up of:
o Continental Crust
Thick (10 – 70 km)
Buoyant (less dense than oceanic crust)
Mostly old
o Oceanic Crust
Thin (~7 km)
Dense (sinks under continental crust)
Young
Plate Tectonics
Tectonic Plates and Plate Boundaries
The Earth’s outer shell, the lithosphere, consisting of the crust and uppermost mantle, is divided into a
patchwork of large tectonic plates that move slowly relatively to each other. There are 7-8 major plates
and many minor plates. Varying between 0 to 100mm per year, the movement of a plate is driven by
convection in the underlying hot and viscous mantle.
Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along plate
boundaries in zones that may be anything from a few kilometres to a few hundred kilometres wide.
If you look at a map of the world, you may notice that some of the continents could fit together like
pieces of a puzzle.
Plate Tectonics
The Earth’s Crust is divided into 12 major plates which are moved in various directions.
The plates collide, pull apart or scrape against each other.
Each motion causes different types of features in the Earth’s Crust.
The word, tectonic, refers to changes in the crust because of plate interaction.
Main Tectonic Plates of the Earth
North American Plate * Pacific Plate
Nazca Plate * South American Plate
Antarctic Plate * Eurasian Plate
African Plate * Indian Plate
Pacific Plate * Australian Plate
Minor Tectonic Plates
Philippine Plate * Juan De Fuca Plate
Rivera Plate * Caribbean Plate
Cocos Plate * Tonga Microplate
Juan Fernandez Microplate * Scotia Plate
South Sandwich Microplate * Somali Plate
Evidence
1. Puzzle - Continents can fit together like a puzzle.
2. Fossils - Similar fossils were found on coastlines of different continents.
3. Rock Types - Mountains that appear on one coastline also appear on another continent across
the ocean.
The Crust
Continental Crust Oceanic Trust
Thick Thin
Less dense than Oceanic Crust Dense – sinks under Continental Crust
Mostly old Young
3 Types of Plate Boundaries
1. Divergent Boundaries or Constructive Plate Margin – where new crust is generated as the
plates pull away from each other.
o Zones of spreading
o In certain areas, the plates move apart from each other at boundaries known as
spreading ridges or spreading rifts. Molten rock from the underlying mantle rises to
the surface where it cools and becomes part of the spreading plates.
o Ex. Mid oceanic ridges
o Seafloor spreading over the past 100 to 200 million years has caused the Atlantic
Ocean to grow from a tiny inlet of water between the continents of Europe, Africa,
and the Americas into the cast ocean that exists today.
2. Convergent Boundaries or Destructive Plate Margin – where crust is destroyed as one plate
dives under another.
o Destructive Plate Boundary is an actively deforming region where two or more
tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere move toward one another and
collide.
o As a result of pressure, friction, and plate material melting in the mantle,
earthquakes and volcanoes are common near convergent boundaries.
o When two plates move towards one another, they form either a subduction zone or
a continental collision.
o Subduction occurs when the relative movement of two plates is toward each other.
o When the rate of plate convergence is high, a trench is formed at the boundary
between plates. Earthquakes are generated at the interface between the
subducting and overriding plates.
3 Types of Convergent Boundaries
1. Oceanic – Continental – Oceanic plate sub ducts due to higher density
2. Oceanic – Oceanic – They typically create an island arc, deep oceanic trench.
3. Continental – Continental – Himalayas
3. Transform Boundaries or Conservative Plate Margin – Where crust is neither produced nor
destroyed as the plates slide horizontally past each other.
What causes Earthquakes?
Elastic Rebound
Sources of Stress
o Plate Tectonics
o Other stresses
Causes – Tectonic Plate Movement
The most common cause of earthquakes.
The earthquake occurs when the pressure that has built up in tectonic plates causes the rock to
break suddenly.
This usually occurs at the boundaries of tectonic plates and along existing faults.
What Causes Earthquakes?
Earthquake is a sudden tremor or movement of the earth’s crust, which originates naturally at
or below the surface.
A list of natural and man-made earthquake causes
Natural Source Man – Made Source
Tectonic earthquakes Controlled sources (explosives)
Volcanic earthquake Reservoir induces earthquakes
Rock falls, collapse of cavity Mining induces earthquakes
microseism Cultural noise (industry, traffic, etc.)
What Should I Do Before, During, And After An Earthquake?
What to Do Before an Earthquake?
Make sure you have a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, a battery – powered radio, a flashlight, and
extra batteries at home.
Learn first aid.
Learn how to turn off the gas, water, and electricity.
Make up a plan of where to meet your family after an earthquake.
Don’t leave heavy objects on shelves (they’ll fall during a quake).
Anchor heavy furniture, cupboards, and appliances to the walls or floor.
What to Do During an Earthquake?
Stay Calm! If you’re indoors, stay inside. If you’re outside, stay outside.
If you’re indoors, stand against a wall near the center of the building, stand in a door way, or
crawl under a heavy furniture (a desk or table). Stay away from windows and outside doors.
If you’re outdoors, stay in the open away from power lines or anything that might fall. Stay
away from buildings (stuff might fall off the building or the building could fall on you).
Don’t use matches, candles, or any flame. Broken gas lines and fire don’t mix.
If you’re in a car, stop the car and stay inside the car until the earthquake stops.
Don’t use elevators (they’ll probably get stuck anyway).
What to Do After an Earthquake?
Check yourself and others for injuries. Provide first aid for anyone who needs it.
Check water, gas, and electric lines for damage. If any are damaged, shut off the valves. Check
for the smell of gas. If you smell it, open all the windows and doors, leave immediately, and
report it to the authorities (use someone else’s phone).
Turn on the radio. Don’t use the phone unless it’s an emergency.
Stay out of damaged buildings.
Be careful around broken glass and debris. Wear boots or sturdy shoes to keep from cutting
your feet.
Be careful of chimneys (they may fall on you).
Stay away from beaches. Tsunamis and seiches sometimes hit after the ground has stopped
shaking.
Stay away from damaged areas.
If you’re at school or work, follow the emergency plan or the instructions of the person in
charge.
Expect aftershocks.
