Earths Structure And Layers Questions
Tectonic plates are large, rigid pieces of the Earth's lithosphere that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. They are constantly moving and interacting with each other due to the underlying convective currents in the Earth's mantle. The interactions between tectonic plates occur at their boundaries, which can be classified into three main types: divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries. At divergent boundaries, plates move apart from each other, creating new crust and allowing magma to rise to the surface, forming mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys. At convergent boundaries, plates collide with each other, leading to the formation of mountains, volcanic activity, and subduction zones where one plate is forced beneath another. At transform boundaries, plates slide past each other horizontally, resulting in earthquakes along the fault lines. These interactions between tectonic plates are responsible for various geological phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountain ranges.