Conservative Plate Margins cont-cont

What are conservative margins also called?

Transform margins.

How do conservative plates move?

They move alongside eachother parallel to plate margins e.g. Alpine Fault, San Andreas Fault.

What can conservative plates create?

Earthquakes as energy released moves in waves.

Is there volcanic activity at conservative plate margins?

None, as there is no subduction.

What does the movement of these plates cause?

Cause stresses between plate margins, particularly when they get stuck.

What does sudden movements at these margins when they get stuck cause?

They trigger shallow-focus earthquakes.

e.g. San Andreas Fault in California, where Pacific and North American plates move in the same direction but at different speeds.

What do stresses by the movement cause?

Transform faults develop at right angles to the main fault.

Why does no subduction occur here?

Due to the lower density as both are continental, they are too buoyant (light).

What happens to sediments between the 2 plates?

They are forced upwards, folding and faulting as they do so, creating fold mountains.

Do earthquakes occur here?

Shallow earthquakes are common and due to shallow depths they can have a significant impact on communities in these areas.