Plate Tectonics: Concept
SEM –I (MJ 1)
Paper – Earth System Science (Unit- 3)
Mable M. Toppo
Dept. of Geology
St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi
Plate Boundaries
3 Major Types are
• Constructive or Divergent or Accreting Boundaries
• Destructive or Convergent or Consuming Boundary
• Conservative or shear or Transform faults Boundary
Convergent Plate Boundary
• Boundary along which two plates move towards each other.
• Convergence can be of 3 types.
Ocean – Ocean convergence.
Ocean- Continent convergence
Continent- Continent convergence
• Ocean- Ocean convergence – here two oceanic plate converge and one plate
bends downward beneath other. This phenomenon is called subduction.
The subducting plate descends into the asthenosphere, where it is heated
and absorbed in the mantle. Deep - sea trenchs are the common feature
associated and are formed immediately above the zone of subduction. At depths
between 150 to 200 kms melting of the descending plate takes place due to
geothermal heat.
In beginning the tholeiitic basaltic (Silica saturated to oversaturated)lava
comes out of melt later andesitic lava (Na rich plagioclase i.e andesine +Pyroxene
i.e biotite) dominates because of magmatic differentiation.
Cont..
Along with downbent plate, part of trench sediment and some water is
carried down to hotter environment. Due to temperature difference
between the magma and downbent plate and sediments the magma
body slowly rises up to overriding plate forming Island arc. Eg.Japanese
islands, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Mariana island(14 islands) etc.
Global distribution of active marine volcanic arcs (after
Worthington 1998). Intra-oceanic arcs commonly are submarine
whereas island arcs typically have higher proportions of subaerial
volcanoes. Almost 22,000 km of arc front exist globally, with
~20,000 km of that within the western Pacific basin and its
boundary seas. Less than 3% of arc front has been surveyed for
hydrothermal activity.
Cont..
• Ocean - Continent convergence– In such case the oceanic plate is
subducted beneath the continental plate because the oceanic plate is
much denser compared to continental plate.
Magma is generated by the partial melting of descending plate
and is usually Andesitic in composition. Some of magma is extruded at
the overriding continental plate forming volcanic arc. Eg Cascade
volcanic arc (North America extending from British Columbia through
Washington and Oregon to Northern California, Juan de fuca
subducting beneath North American), Aleutian range within Alaska
(North pacific subducting beneath North American).
Cont..
• Continent – Continent convergence – also called continent collision.
Here two continental plates move towards each other. Neither
of them can subside into mantle to greater depth, however one
overrides the other for a short distance.
Initially if an ocean floor exist between two continent, the
Continued convergence eventually causes disappearance of ocean and
the oceanic sediments get squeezed into complicated folds and thrust
forming mountain range. Both continental masses are compressed and
the continents are ultimately fused or welded together into a single
continental block, with a mountain range marking the line of
suture/joining. Eg: the Himalayan mountains (Indian against Eurasian
dissapeance of Tethys sea)
Conservative or Shear or Transform Fault
Boundary
• The third type of plate boundary occurs where adjacent plate slide
horizontally past each other, neither creating nor destroying
lithosphere.
This boundary occurs along a special type of fault called a
Transform Fault which is simply a strike slip fault. The term transform is
used because the kind of motion between plate is changed or
transformed – at the ends of the active part of the fault. For example,
the diverging motion between plates at an oceanic ridge can be
transformed along the fault to the converging motion between plates
at a subduction zone.
• Transform fault connect convergent and divergent plate boundary in
various combinations. However majority of transform faults connect
two oceanic ridge segments
Driving Forces of Plate Tectonics
• Many hypothesis have been proposed for the motion of the plates,
some of these are:
• Convection current hypothesis- According to this hypothesis the
convection current in mantle causes movement of plates.
• The plates drag the mantle- This hypothesis argues that because
asthenosphere cannot be separated by lithosphere, hence it is the
plate which drags the mantle.
• Gravity makes plate slide- According to this hypothesis it is the
earth’s gravity that causes the plates to slide causing lateral
movement of plates.
Cont..
• Mantle Plume Model- this theory was originally proposed by
W.J.Morgan who assumed plume to be important source of heat
transfer from lower to upper mantle and also as an alternative to
mantle convection .
A mantle plume is a rising column of hot material, few hundred
km in diameter that comes upward from lower mantle into
asthenosphere and spreads out under lithospheric plate. The lateral
spreading of plume material away from center in the lithosphere
produces a radial shear stress on the overlying lithosphere. If number
of plumes are align then the asthenosphere flow would be laterally
away from the line of plume and thus the stress would act to pull the
lithosphere apart. Thus a spreading center is created along the line of
plume.
Cont..
• Force Balance Model- This model accounts for all the possible forces applied
on a plate.
• The possible forces are
• Ridge push force (FRP) – it represents a push from divergent plate margin. It
originates at spreading center i.e MOR. The horizontal pressure provides
force that tends to drive the lithospheric plate apart at the spreading center.
• Slab pull force (FSP) – this force is caused by the tendency of the colder and
denser lithosphere to sink to underlying mantle. As the slab sinks it tends to
pull the surficial part of plate behind it.
• Slab drag force (FSD) – it arises from the resistance of mantle to the slab as it
sinks. This force depends upon viscosity of adjacent mantle and the velocity
of the plate being subducted.
• The Subduction – Resistance Force (FSR) – it results from the resistance
between the overriding plate and down going plate. This force gives rise to
many shallow focus earthquakes along subducting margins.
