What are the main types of tectonic plate boundaries and their associated landforms?

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Syntactica Sophia
2 years ago

Tectonic plates are large pieces of Earth's lithosphere that move around on the planet's surface. There are three main types of tectonic plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform. At each type of boundary, different forces and interactions occur between the plates, which can result in various landforms and geological features.

At divergent plate boundaries, the plates move away from each other, creating a gap that magma from the mantle can fill, leading to the formation of new crust. This process results in features such as mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys, and volcanoes.

At convergent plate boundaries, two plates move towards each other. Depending on the type of plates involved, three types of interactions can occur: oceanic-continental, oceanic-oceanic, and continental-continental. These interactions can result in features such as trenches, volcanic arcs, and mountain ranges.

At transform plate boundaries, two plates slide past each other horizontally. This results in the formation of features such as strike-slip faults and earthquakes.