Plate Boundaries Types of Plate Boundaries: Divergent Boundaries: Plates move apart. Example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Convergent Boundaries: Plates move towards each other. Example: Hi... Plate Boundaries Types of Plate Boundaries: Divergent Boundaries: Plates move apart. Example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Convergent Boundaries: Plates move towards each other. Example: Himalayas. Transform Boundaries: Plates slide past each other. Example: San Andreas Fault. Processes at Plate Boundaries: Earthquakes: Common at all types of boundaries. Volcanoes: Mostly at convergent and divergent boundaries. Mountain Building: Typically at convergent boundaries. Faults and Earthquakes Types of Faults: Normal Faults: Caused by tension, where the hanging wall moves down. Reverse Faults: Caused by compression, where the hanging wall moves up. Strike-Slip Faults: Caused by shearing, where rocks slide past each other horizontally. Earthquake Terminology: Focus: The point inside the Earth where the earthquake starts. Epicenter: The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus. Magnitude: Measure of the energy released, often measured by the Richter scale. Seismograph: Instrument that records seismic waves. Seismic Waves Types of Seismic Waves: Primary Waves (P-Waves): Fastest, travel through solids, liquids, and gases. Secondary Waves (S-Waves): Slower than P-waves, travel only through solids. Surface Waves: Slowest, cause the most damage, travel along the Earth’s surface. Volcanoes Types of Volcanoes: Shield Volcanoes: Broad, gently sloping, formed by low-viscosity lava. Composite Volcanoes (Stratovolcanoes): Steep, explosive eruptions, alternating layers of lava and ash. Cinder Cone Volcanoes: Small, steep, formed from tephra. Volcanic Hazards: Lava Flows: Molten rock flowing from a volcano. Ash Falls: Volcanic ash falling from the sky. Pyroclastic Flows: Fast-moving currents of hot gas and volcanic matter. Magma Chamber: A large underground pool of molten rock beneath the Earth’s crust. Main Vent: The primary outlet through which magma escapes to the surface. Throat: The uppermost section of the main vent. Crater: A bowl-shaped depression at the top of the volcano, formed by explosive activity. Conduit: A passage through which magma travels to reach the surface. Lava Flow: Molten rock that flows out of a volcano during an eruption. Ash Cloud: A cloud of ash formed during explosive volcanic eruptions. Secondary Vent: Smaller outlets on the sides of a volcano where magma can also escape. Secondary Cone: Smaller cones formed by eruptions from secondary vents. Eruption Column: A towering plume of ash, gas, and volcanic material ejected into the atmosphere. Lava Dome: A mound formed when lava is too viscous to flow far from the vent. Fumaroles: Openings in the Earth’s crust that emit steam and gases. Sills: Horizontal intrusions of magma that solidify between layers of rock. Dikes: Vertical or steeply inclined intrusions of magma that cut through existing rock layers. Caldera: A large, basin-like depression formed when a volcano collapses into itself, often following a major eruption. Lahar: A destructive mudflow on the slopes of a volcano, typically composed of volcanic ash mixed with water. Read more