Plate
Boundaries
© The Science Duo
Plate Boundaries
• Location where two tectonic plates meet
• Changes to Earth’s surface occur near plate
boundaries
• Put this in the table
• 3 types of plate boundaries – Convergent,
Divergent, and Transform
Convergent Divergent Transform
Types of Crust
• There are two main types of crust that cover Earth’s
surface
• Continental crust – thicker, less dense, forms
landmasses, composed mostly of granite, generally
older than oceanic crust
• Oceanic crust – thinner, more dense, located under
oceans and seas, composed mostly of basalt, generally
younger than continental crust
Oceanic Crust Continental Crust
Convergent Boundaries
• A location where two tectonic plates move toward
each other or collide
• Convergent = Collide
3 Types of Convergent Boundaries
Crust Features Formed Examples
Continent – Continent Mountains Himalayan Mountains
Continent – Ocean Volcanoes & Trenches Andes Mountains
Ocean - Ocean Volcanic Island Arcs Aleutian Islands
and Trenches
Himalayan Mountains Andes Mountains Aleutian Islands
Subduction Zone/Trench
• When one plate in a convergent boundary sinks under
the other plate creating a volcano and a trench.
○ Convergent = Collide
Continent – Ocean
Volcanoes & Trench
Ocean - Ocean
Volcanic Island Arcs
& Trenches
Divergent Boundaries
• Divergent = Divide or split apart - two tectonic plates
divide or separate from each other
2 Types of Divergent Boundaries
Crust Features Formed Examples
Continent – Continent Rift Valley Great Rift Valley
Ocean - Ocean Mid-Ocean Ridge Mid-Atlantic Ridge
African Great Rift Valley Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Transform Boundaries
• Transform = Slide past - two tectonic plates slide past
each other
Transform Boundaries
Crust Features Formed Examples
All Types Earthquakes San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
Seafloor Spreading
• The formation of new oceanic crust by the movement of
magma on ocean floor at a divergent boundary
• This causes the seafloor to widen over time
• Crust located closer to the divergent boundary is
younger than crust located further away
Younger Crust
Older Crust
Checkpoint
• 5 checkpoint questions
• Write a complete answer to each question on
your notes page
Question 1
Compare and
contrast
convergent and
divergent plate
boundaries.
Question 1
Convergent = Collide
Divergent = Divide
They are opposites!
Question 2
What two types of
rock make up a
large majority of
Earth’s crust?
Question 2
Continental
Oceanic
Question 3
Do you think
seafloor spreading
is helpful or harmful
for Earth? Explain.
Question 3
Helpful - it creates
new crust for the Earth!
Harmful - seafloor
spreading comes from
magma, so volcanic activity
might cause earthquakes
Question 4
How do you think
scientists were able
to discover Earth’s
plate boundaries?
Question 4
● Mapping the ocean floor
● Finding fossils
● Measuring seismic waves
(from earthquakes)
Question 5
How do you think
Earth would be
different if there
were no plate
boundaries?
Question 5
Completely flat!
- no volcanoes
- no mountains
- no ridges
- no valleys
PANGEA
• 200 million years ago, the continents used to be
connected into one large supercontinent called
Pangea.
Continental Drift Theory
• Alfred Wegener was a scientist who questioned
why continents today have organisms and fossils
with similar features even though they are
separated by oceans.
• He came up with the
idea that all of the
continents used to fit
together like a puzzle,
but have moved apart
over billions of years.
• This is called the
continental drift theory.
Continental Drift Theory
• The continental drift
theory states that all
the Earth's continents
were once joined
together called
Pangaea!
• The supercontinent
eventually broke
apart into the
continents we know
today.
What makes the continents
shift?
• Under the earth’s lithosphere (crust) in the mantle,
there are convection currents.
• Over time, the convection currents caused the
tectonic plates to move or DRIFT in different directions.
Convection:
Heat rises and
cool sinks
causing a
circular
movement
Finish your map!
