The crust is solid, while the The Earth is composed of five

mantle is plastic. Because layers.

the mantle is plastic and
very hot, it can bend, flow,
and move.
The Earth’s crust is solid
but is broken into a number
of large tectonic plates
plus a number of smaller
ones.
The tectonic plates are
located right on top of the
mantle.
Because the mantle can
bend, flow, and move, the
tectonic plates can also
bend and move. 2
 In 1947 scientists discovered
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an
underwater mountain range
stretching along the Atlantic
Ocean, between North and
South America, Europe and
Africa.
 Geologists discovered the
ocean floor was composed of
basalt, an igneous rock.
Igneous Rock is produced
through volcanic processes.
 Some igneous rock contains
magnetite. This mineral is
affected by the Earth’s
magnetic field. When it cools
and hardens, magnetite
crystals are aligned and locked
into North/South orientation.

3
 Plates can move:
1. TOWARDS each
other. This is a
CONVERGENT
BOUNDARY.
2. AWAY from each
other. This is a
DIVERGENT
BOUNDARY.
3. ACROSS or AGAINST
each other. This is a
TRANSFORM-FAULT
BOUNDARY.

Click here to see an animation of the three types of plate boundaries

650 million years of Earth’s plate movement

or
Pangaea to present 4
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a
divergent boundary (two
plates moving apart from
each other) running in
north-south orientation for
almost the entire length of
the Atlantic Ocean.

5
Use what you know
about divergent
plate boundaries to
interpret the image
below of the Great Rift
Valley which runs
through the Middle
East, the Red Sea and
East Africa.

6
• Places where two tectonic
plates are moving towards
each other are convergent
boundaries.
• There are three types of
convergent boundaries.
– oceanic – oceanic
– oceanic –continental
– continental-continental

Above is an example of an “oceanic – continental” convergent

plate boundary. The ocean floor moves underneath the
continental crust. This is called a subduction zone. The ocean
crust is forced down, and subjected to very high pressure and
temperature, turning it back into molten rock. 7
The Cascade Mountain Range is
a long chain of volcanoes
produced by a subduction zone
off the coast of the Pacific
Northwest. Mount St. Helen is one
of a long chain of volcanoes
produced by a subduction zone
off the coast of the Pacific
Northwest.

8
 Describe convergent boundaries and the features
associated with it.

Answer:
There are three types of convergent
boundaries: oceanic-oceanic; oceanic-
continental; and continental-continental. In
oceanic-continental convergent boundaries the
oceanic plate is subducted under the continental
plate. Volcanic activity and mountain uplifting
occurs at convergent boundaries.

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 Subduction Zones surround most of the Pacific Ocean and form
an almost continuous line of volcanic activity.

The “Ring of Fire” is formed by the subduction of the Pacific plate,

the Juan De Fuca plate and the Nazca underneath the continental
plates of North America, South America and Filipino Plate and 10
Australian Plate.
Transform-Fault Boundaries move laterally. When pressure
builds and releases, we experience an Earthquake. One of the
most active Transform-Fault boundary is the San Andreas Fault
in California.

Click on link below to view a

QuickTime Video on 11
 Transform fault
boundaries differ from
divergent and
convergent boundaries
because crust is only
deformed or fractured.
Crust is not created
(divergent boundary) nor
destroyed (convergent
boundary).

Triple Venn Diagram 12

  Most volcanoes form along
plate boundaries. However,
some volcanoes form in
the middle of a plate which
is then called a “hot spot”.
 An example of a “hot spot”
are the Hawaiian Islands.
 As the oceanic plate moves
over a “hot spot”,
magma pushes through the
lithosphere forming volcanic
mountains.
The graphic above shows the
Click on the link below to view a QuickTime Video on
formation of new islands as
Plate Tectonics: The Hawaiian Archipelago the plates continue to move
over the “hot spot”.
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List the major plate boundaries and describe the
direction in which they are moving in relationship to
each other.

14
1. According to the Plate Tectonic Theory, when oceanic
plates collide with continental plates, the denser
oceanic plate is forced under the lighter continental
plate. Which geologic feature is a result of this type of
collision?

A. hot spot
B. abyssal plain
C. mid-ocean ridge
D. composite volcano

FCAT Science Sample Test Book 2007

15
 The correct answer is D (composite volcano).
An understanding of the geologic features associated with plate
tectonics is needed
to answer this question. When an oceanic plate is subducted under a
continental
plate, composite volcanoes may form as the descending slab of ocean
crust is
heated and the molten rock rises to the surface as magma.

Distractor Rationale
A. Hot spots are not the result of plate collision. Hot spots occur in areas
where plumes of hot material burst through the crustal plate. They are
not associated with any particular plate boundary, and may form
anywhere, including the interior of plates.
B. Abyssal plains are not the result of plate collision. Abyssal plains are
formed in the interior of tectonic plates, occurring between
continental rises and Mid-Ocean Ridge systems.
C. Mid-Ocean Ridges are not the result of plate collision. Mid-Ocean
Ridges are formed at divergent boundaries rather than convergent
16
2. Uplift mountain building would most likely occur:

A. Along Convergent Plate Boundaries

B. Along Divergent Plate Boundaries
C. Above hot spots
D. Near the center of Tectonic Plates, away
from plate boundaries.

17
 The correct answer is A (Convergent
Boundaries).

An understanding of the geologic features associated with

plate tectonics is
needed to answer this question. When two plates move
towards each other both plates may be pushed upwards in
a forceful thrusting movement .

Distractor Rationale
B. Divergent plate boundaries occur when plates move
away from each other. Mountains that are found here will
most likely be formed through volcanic processes.

C. Hot spots are not the result of plate collision. Hot spots
occur in areas where plumes of hot material burst through
the crustal plate. They are not associated with any
particular plate boundary, and may form anywhere,
18
including the interior of plates.
1. The Aleutian Island archipelago is formed just north of a long
subduction zone of around the Pacific plate. Iceland is
located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent boundary.
The Hawaiian Islands are volcanic islands, but are located in
the central region of the Pacific Plate. Use the Theory of Plate
tectonics to explain how these three different archipelagos
were formed.

2. The Burgess Shale, located high in the Canadian Rockies, is

home to one of the richest fossil beds on Earth. Although this
site is situated more than 3000 feet above sea level and
several hundred miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, all the
fossils come from marine organisms. Dating back from some
500 million years ago, the Burgess Shale fossils give us a
glimpse of ancient aquatic life. Use the Theory of Plate
tectonics to explain how fossils of ocean dwelling organisms
can now be found so far from the ocean.

19
1. As a result of the drifting continents,
what landforms were created?

The drifting continents create many landforms

including mountain ranges, rift valleys,
undersea mountains, volcanoes, and the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge.

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2. What causes earthquakes and volcanic
activity?
Earthquakes are caused by slow movements inside
the Earth that push against the Earth's brittle,
relatively thin outer layer, causing the rocks to break
suddenly. This outer layer is fragmented into a number
of pieces, called tectonic plates. Most Earthquakes
occur at the boundaries of these plates. A volcano is a
mountain topped with vents, holes, and craters. It
occurs along the Earth’s tectonic plates where
molten rock is forced upward from magma reservoirs
deep in the Earth.

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3. Describe the movement of divergent,
convergent, and transform
boundaries.

At divergent boundaries, plates move apart,

and new oceanic crust forms. At convergent
boundaries, plates move toward each other,
and oceanic crust is consumed (subducted). At
transform boundaries, plates slide past each
other, and the crust is neither formed nor
consumed.

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