Year 8 geo boundaries

Convergent boundaries - Movement

The plates move towards each other and collide.

Convergent boundaries - Mountain ranges

When two continental plates collide, the crust buckles and thickens, forming large mountain ranges.

Convergent boundaries - Volcanoes

When an oceanic plate subducts (dives under) a continental plate, the melting crust forms magma that rises to the surface, creating a line of volcanoes.

Convergent boundaries - Oceanic trenches

When an oceanic plate subducts under another plate, it creates a deep trench in the ocean floor.

Convergent boundaries - Volcanic island arcs

When two oceanic plates collide, the older, denser plate subducts under the younger one, creating a chain of volcanic islands.

Divergent boundaries - Movement

The plates move away from each other, and magma from the mantle rises to fill the gap, creating new crust.

Divergent boundaries - Mid-ocean ridges

Underwater mountain ranges formed by the eruption of magma, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Divergent boundaries - Rift valleys

A valley formed by the cracking of the Earth's crust as plates pull apart, such as the East African Rift Valley.

Divergent boundaries - Volcanic activity

Magma can erupt at the surface, leading to volcanic activity.

Divergent boundaries - Shallow earthquakes

As the plates separate, earthquakes occur, but they are typically shallow.

Transform boundaries - Movement

The plates slide horizontally past each other.

Transform boundaries - Earthquakes

Pressure builds up as the plates move, releasing energy in the form of earthquakes when they slip.

Transform boundaries - No volcanic activity

Crust is neither created nor destroyed, so there is typically no volcanic activity.

Transform boundaries - Offset streams

Rivers and streams that cross the fault line can become offset over time.