Summary of Plate Boundaries
Convergent Boundaries
- cool rock subjected to compressional stress
- longest amount of time to accumulate stress before strain (brittle deformation) occurs
- largest maximum earthquake size
- has lots of earthquakes
- large mountain ranges
- has oceanic oceanic and continental continental convergent boundaries
- extensive volcanism
- volcanism: chains of volcanoes
- warm to cool rock subjected to shear stress
- moderate amount of time to accumulate stress before strain (brittle deformation) occurs
- moderate maximum earthquake size
- move laterally (side to side)
- lithosphere is neither created or destroyed
- lots of small to medium sized earthquakes
- there are no volcanoes here
Divergent Boundaries
- hot rock subjected to tensional stress
- shortest amount of time to accumulate stress before strain (brittle deformation) occurs
- smallest maximum earthquake size
- plates spread or move apart
- mid-ocean ridges are divergent boundaries
- all mid-ocean ridges are divergent boundaries, but not all divergent boundaries are mid-ocean ridges
- lots of small earthquakes
- lots of volcanoes
- generally, non-threatening