Tectonic plate boundaries, earthquake and volcano formation, and the Ring of Fire explained conceptually.
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- What are tectonic plates?
- Large sections of the Earth's crust and upper mantle that move slowly across the planet
- How many major tectonic plates exist?
- Seven major plates (plus several minor ones)
- Name the three types of plate boundaries
- Convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries
- What happens at a divergent plate boundary?
- Two plates move apart and new crust forms between them
- What happens at a convergent plate boundary?
- Two plates collide and move toward each other
- What happens at a transform plate boundary?
- Two plates slide past each other horizontally
- What is the Ring of Fire?
- A horseshoe-shaped belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity surrounding the Pacific Ocean
- What percentage of the world's active volcanoes are in the Ring of Fire?
- Approximately 75 percent
- What is magma?
- Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface
- What is lava?
- Magma that has erupted onto the Earth's surface
- Where do most volcanoes form?
- Along plate boundaries, especially at convergent and divergent boundaries
- What is a subduction zone?
- An area where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another into the mantle
- What type of plate boundary is a subduction zone?
- A convergent boundary
- What are mid-ocean ridges?
- Underwater mountain ranges where new oceanic crust forms at divergent boundaries
- What is a rift valley?
- A valley formed where the crust is being pulled apart at a divergent boundary