Plate Tectonics and Plate Boundaries

Vocabulary flashcards covering plate boundaries and constructive plate boundary features based on lecture notes.

Three types of plate boundaries

The three main categories of tectonic plate boundaries: Constructive, Destructive, and Transverse/Passive.

Constructive plate boundary

A boundary where convection currents drag two plates apart, causing sea floor spreading.

Rift

A crack in the crust through which magma from the mantle comes to the Earth's surface.

Landforms at constructive plate boundaries

Features created when magma hardens on contact with the Earth's surface, specifically volcanoes and mid-ocean ridges.

Earthquakes at constructive plate boundaries

Seismic activity that occurs at constructive boundaries due to the movement of tectonic plates.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

An example of a constructive plate boundary where the Eurasian plate separates from the North American plate.