plate boundary examples - plate tectonics CSs

What is an example of a constructive (divergent) plate boundary and it’s landforms?

the mid Atlantic ridge - mostly submarine mountain range

this occurs at the boundary between the north American and Eurasian plates. due to magma rising Iceland is formed as a volcanic island directly above the ridge

the rate of sea floor spread is estimated 1inch per year on average

how long and high is the mid Atlantic ridge?

16,000km long

2-3km high

what causes the formation of the mid Atlantic ridge?

it is an ocean ridge caused by the process of diverging plates This produces basaltic volcanoes when an eruption occurs above the surface (Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland) .this causes the ocean basic to get wider, “sea floor spreading” and results in a symmetrical alignment of the rocks of the ocean floor which get older with distance from the ridge crest.

there is a rift valley at the top of the ridge showing where the plates are spreading

what is an example of a destructive plate boundary landform (collision zone)?

Himalayas - a collision boundary between the two continental plates - Indian and Eurasian plates

the Indian plate is moving northward and collides with the reasonably stationary Eurasian plate

how have the Himalayas been created?

the continuous compression between the Indian and Eurasian plates has resulted in the uplift of the mountain range.

this is estimated to have started 50 million years ago and still continues to this day

there are a number of fault lines at the boundary which cause numerous earthquakes in the region

how are the Himalayas still forming today?

still rising by more than 1 cm per year as India continues to move northwards into Asia explains the occurrence of shallow focus earthquakes in the region. However the forces of weathering and erosion are lowering the Himalayas at about the same rate.

what is an example of a destructive plate boundary landform (subduction zone)?

Japan trench - a deep ocean trench formed due to the pacific plate subducting below the okhotsk

causes volcanic arcs that make up part of the pacific ring of fire

it is seismically active and was linked to the cause of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami

How big is the japan trench?

spans 5000 miles and goes 29,000 feet bellow sea level making it one of the worlds deepest ocean trenches

what is an example of a conservative (transform) boundary landform?

san andreas fault located between north american and pacific plates constantly moving past one another in the same direction but at different rates

moevemnt is sparadic and jerky causing intesnse earthquakes in surrounding areas such as san fransisco that has been significantly impacted

What is the size of the san andreas fault?

1300km, 25km in depth

what’s is an example of a volcanic hotspot?

the Icelandic hotspot

associated with the mid Atlantic ridge which has resulted in significant volcanic activity such as the volcano Efjallajokull

Has created a chain of extinct volcanoes in Iceland