Earth Science

Plate Boundaries Lab

Objective: To demonstrate the landforms and features that are created at plate boundaries.

Tray cut in half represents tectonic plates

Base tray

Method:
1. Place the half trays inside base tray. Make sure the half trays are not touching each other. 2. Build up several
thin alternating layers of flour and sand. • No more than half-full.

2. Slide the half trays towards each other with the sand on top. This models _____________ plate boundaries.
Record your observations on your data table.

Sand

Slide the half –trays towards each other

 3. Slide the half trays away from each other with the sand on top. This models _____________ plate boundaries.
Record your observations on your data table.

Sand

Slide the half –trays away from each other

4. Slide the half trays away from each other with the sand on top. This models _____________ plate boundaries.
Record your observations on your data table.

Sand

Scrape the half –trays past each other

Data Table: Record your observations on your data table.

(Cause) Type of Boundary Convergent Divergent Transform

Direction of Plate
movement

(Effect) Types of Landform

or geological feature

Folds or Fault Folds or Fault Folds or Fault

What kind of fold or (circle one) (circle one) (circle one)
fault was observed?
What kind: What kind: What kind:
Reference Images:

Reference Article:
Folding
Folding is wrinkling of the earth's
crust due to slowly compressed
from the side. This forms folded
mountains and fault zones. The
thickness of the crust increases in
these regions, which form
mountains. Examples of folded
mountains: Appalachian Mtns.

 Ridges (folds that point up)

are called anticlines
 Troughs (folds that point
down or the “valleys”) are
called synclines
 Folds can be symmetrical
where both sides have
equal amounts of
compression, or
asymmetrical where forces
are one sided.
 All rocks have the capacity for folding and faulting (breaking), however, folds are more common in
sedimentary rocks since igneous and metamorphic rocks are more brittle and tend to break rather than
fold.
 Domes and basins result from folds that point up and folds that point down or the “valleys,
respectively.

Faulting
Rocks that are too rigid to bend will break.
This is called faulting. Unlike folding, faulting
can be caused by compressional, tensional,
or shearing forces. Compressional
forces are those where rocks are squeezed
together (produces folding when
slow), tensional forces occur where rocks
are being pulled apart or stretched, and shear
stresses are found where rocks are being
subjected to forces that are parallel, but in
opposite directions.
  A fault is a fracture in rock which involves
the movement or displacement of rock.

 A joint is a fracture in rock without

movement.

 The fault plane is the surface of contact

along which blocks on either side of a fault
move.

 The fault scarp is the exposed cliff-like face

of the side of the fault.

Stresses and Resulting Faults

There are three major types of stress that can lead
to deformation and fracturing of rigid rocks. They
are:

 compression (crustal shortening)

 tension (crustal stretching)
 shear (forces acting parallel but in opposite
directions)

Compressional Stresses
Rocks subjected to compression or collision
respond by breaking, bending, or folding. The fault
produced is called a reverse fault and is seen as
one block riding over the other along a steep fault plane.

Tensional Stresses
Rocks subjected to tensional forces are being
pulled apart and the rocks respond by thinning,
while others break. The fault produced is called
a normal fault. There can be more than one
normal fault and they are generally parallel to one
another. Normal faults are seen where one block
remains relatively stationary while the other is
significanlty downthrown. In locations where
tensional forces are occurring, rift valley formation
can occur. In this case there are several parallel
normal faults with the center block downthrown to
produce the valley bottom. An example of this
would be the East African Rift Valley. Rift
formation is associated with divergent plate
boundaries.
 When a block of crust is bounded by normal
faults and the two sides drop down (as
described above), a graben is created. If the
block of crust is uplifted, it becomes a fault-
block mountain range and is called a horst.

The combination of grabens and horsts creates

a landscape called Basin and Range.
Mountain ranges are separated from adjoining
valleys by normal faults. A large portion of
Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona (Great
Basin) have this type of terrain. This region is
believed to have formed when the Farallon
Plate had completely subducted under the
North American Plate. Then North America
moved over the rift zone. This caused the crust
to stretch and the result was a fault-block
structure (horsts and grabens) characteristic of
the Great Basin. The city of Phoenix, AZ lies in
a graben.

Shearing Stresses
When plates are sliding past one another the
forces on them are shearing stresses. Rocks under
these forces are subject to faulting and
earthquakes. The resulting fault is called a strike-
slip fault and the movement is entirely horizontal.
The best example is the San Andreas Fault in
California. In the photo below, look at the way in
which the retaining wall and sidewalk have shifted
positions. One side is on the Pacific Plate and the
other side is lying on the North American Plate and
these two plates are moving in opposite directions.
Conclusions
1. What are the four different types of tectonic plate boundaries?

2. Which geologic features on the Earth are associated with divergent plate boundaries?

3. Describe the three ways in which the Earth’s crust can interact at convergent plate boundaries.

4. Explain the tectonic process known as subduction.

5. Which geologic features are associated with convergent plate boundaries?

6. Describe the interactions of tectonic plates at a transform plate boundary. What catastrophic event does this
interaction cause?

7. What geologic feature is associated with a transform fault boundary in the United States?

Answer Key –
Data Table: Record your observations on your data table.
(Cause) Type of Boundary Convergent Divergent Transform

Direction of Plate
movement

(Effect) Types of Landform

Labelled Diagram
Conclusions

4. What are the four different types of tectonic plate boundaries?

a. Convergent, Divergent, Transform & Inactive.

5. Which geologic features on the Earth are associated with divergent plate boundaries?
a. Divergent Plate boundaries are associated with Very long underwater mountain ranges known as
ridges. Between the Ridges is a Rift Valley. This is where Sea Floor Spreading occurs. There are
underwater hydrothermal vents and paleomagetic banding.

6. Describe the three ways in which the Earth’s crust can interact at convergent plate
Boundaries.

1. Ocean – Ocean Convergence- Two ocean plate collide and the denser plate subducts.
2. Ocean – Continental Convergence- An ocean plate converges with a continental plate. The Ocean
plate will subduct because it is more dense than the continental plate.
3. Continental – Continental Convergence- Two Continental Plates Collide. Neither plate subducts-
they crumple to form the largest mountains in the world.

4. Explain the tectonic process known as subduction.

When an Ocean Plate subducts- it subducts because it is more dense. This subduction causes the plate to be
pushed down into the mantle. The subduction causes the formation of a deep sea trench and volcanoes that are
created by portions of the subducted plate that melt and form magma that rises to the surface and forms
volcanoes.

5. Which geologic features are associated with convergent plate boundaries?

The Geological features that are associated with convergent plate boundaries are Mountains, Trenches, Island
Arcs, Volcanoes & Terranes.

6. Describe the interactions of tectonic plates around a transform fault boundary.

At transform fault boundaries, two plates are sliding along side of each other. This causes earthquakes.
7. What geologic feature is associated with a transform fault boundary in the United States?

The San Andreas Fault is the transform fault boundary found in western united states.