Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes: Key Concepts and Terminology

• Seafloor spreading is the process of forming new oceanic crust through volcanic activity and upwelling of magma at mid-ocean ridges.
• Tectonic plates are large, rigid pieces of the Earth's lithosphere that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
• Plate boundaries are the areas where tectonic plates interact with each other, and there are three main types: divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries.
• Divergent boundaries occur where tectonic plates move apart, allowing new crust to form, while convergent boundaries result in mountain formation and subduction zones.
• Transform boundaries occur where tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.
• Earthquakes are the shaking or trembling of the Earth's surface caused by sudden energy release in the Earth's crust, and they can occur along plate boundaries and faults.
• Faults are fractures along which rocks move, and there are three main types: normal, reverse, and strike-slip faults.
• Seismic waves are vibrations that travel through the Earth during an earthquake and include P waves, S waves, and surface waves.
• Volcanoes are vents or openings in the Earth's crust through which molten rock, gases, and other materials erupt onto the surface, and they can form at convergent boundaries, divergent boundaries, and hot spots.
• The Ring of Fire is a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
• The three main types of volcanoes are shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes (stratovolcanoes), and cinder cone volcanoes, and their eruption style is influenced by factors such as magma viscosity, gas content, and tectonic setting.
• Volcanic eruptions can result in various effects, including lava flows, ash fall, mudflows (lahars), and pyroclastic flows.