TEKS 8.

9B relate plate tectonics to the formation of crustal features;

TEKS 6.10C identify the major tectonic plates
TEKS 6.10D describe how plate tectonics causes major geological events such as ocean basins, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building

Plate Tectonics
What is Plate Tectonics?
Plate tectonics describes the means by which the ocean and continental crust are able to move and the
results of that motion. The crust of Earth is divided into plates. The key plates are the Eurasian,
African, Indo-Australian, Pacific, Nazca, North American and South American. The plates are rigid and
in constant motion relative to one another.

What Causes the Tectonic Plates to Move?

Intense heat from the core of the Earth causes convection cells to form in the asthenosphere. The
Earths continental and oceanic plates sit on the hot asthenosphere. While the rock in the
asthenosphere is solid, it is less rigid than the plates, and therefore moves. While scientists do not fully
understand the forces that move the plates, it is believed that the moving material in the asthenosphere
drags the plates along.

What Are the Results of Tectonic Plate Motion?

Each plate moves as a distinct unit. The borders between plates are called plate boundaries. There are
three different kinds of motion that occurs between the tectonic plates.
Even though the motion of the plates is very slow; about 10-40 mm/year (this is about how fast your
fingernails grow), the motion causes major geologic events and surface features. The table shows the
three types of plate boundaries as well as the results of the interactions between tectonic plates.

Transform Plate
Boundary

Divergent Plate
Boundary

Process
between
plates

Motion

Types of Crust on the Plate

Geologic Event

Surface
Feature

Where Does
this
Happen?

faults
(breaks in
rock)

San Andreas
Fault,
California

msfortran

any crust type

plates
grind
past
one
another

earthquakes

ntdiverge

ocean and ocean

plates
move
away
from one
another

new crust is
formed
shallow
earthquakes

mid-ocean
ridge
rifts
rift valleys
volcanic
islands

Mid-Atlantic
Ridge,
Atlantic
Ocean

Process
between
plates

Motion

Types of Crust on the Plate

Geologic
Event

Surface
Feature

Where Does
this
Happen?

convergent

ocean and continental or

ocean and ocean

plates
move
toward
one
another

crust material
is destroyed
(subduction)

volcanoes

earthquakes

volcanic
arcs

volcanic
eruptions

island arcs

trenches

Mt. Saint
Helens
Mariana
Trench
(Pacific
Ocean)

continental and continental

mountain
building
folding and
faulting of
rock

mountain
ranges

Himalaya
Mountains,
India

TEKS 8.9B relate plate tectonics to the formation of crustal features;

TEKS 6.10C identify the major tectonic plates
TEKS 6.10D describe how plate tectonics causes major geological events such as ocean basins, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain