Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics

1. Plate Movement

   • heat from the core causes convection currents in the mantle
     • these currents slowly move the crust around
       • some places crust is destroyed
       • other places new crust is formed

2. Plate Boundries

   • Movement is driven by convection crusts in the mantle
   • Plates are like giant rafts that slowly move around
   • Earthquakes and Volcanoes are primilary found at plate boundries
   • Mantle is much hotter than the crust - its rock is molten
   • at the boundries between plates, molten magma is able to force its way to the surface and escape as lava

3. Plate Boundries

   • Collision zones
     • Form when two continental plates collide
     • Neither plate is forced uner the other so both are forced up and form fold mountains
   • Conservative plate margins
     • occurs when plates slide past eachother in opposite directions or same direction at different speeds
     • friction is eventually overcome + plates slip past in a sudden movement
       • the shock waves created produce and earthquake