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Lesson 1

Tectonic plate movement is the primary cause of earthquakes. The earth's crust is divided into plates that slowly move against each other, forming boundaries where they converge, diverge, or move horizontally. Convergent boundaries result in mountain-building as plates collide, divergent boundaries create mid-ocean ridges and cause plates to spread apart, and transform boundaries involve plates sliding past one another, often causing powerful earthquakes. Major faults form at plate boundaries and are the main sources of quakes around the world.

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Fullo Flores Marvilone
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88 views1 page

Lesson 1

Tectonic plate movement is the primary cause of earthquakes. The earth's crust is divided into plates that slowly move against each other, forming boundaries where they converge, diverge, or move horizontally. Convergent boundaries result in mountain-building as plates collide, divergent boundaries create mid-ocean ridges and cause plates to spread apart, and transform boundaries involve plates sliding past one another, often causing powerful earthquakes. Major faults form at plate boundaries and are the main sources of quakes around the world.

Uploaded by

Fullo Flores Marvilone
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKE AND FAULTING: TECTONIC PLATES Earthquakes are sudden and violent

shaking of the ground caused by a sudden release of stress along faults in the earth's crust. It can occur
as the result of activities such as tectonic movements, volcanic activities, cave collapses, natural and
man-made explosions, and the filling of reservoirs. However, earthquakes can most reliably be explained
by tectonic movements, which generate 90 percent of all earthquake phenomena. • Plate Tectonic The
crust of the earth is divided into several large tectonic plates that sometimes encompass more than one
continent. These plates include the Eurasian Plate, African Plate, North American Plate, South American
Plate, Australian Plate and Pacific Plate, among others. Major geological faults are formed along the
boundaries of these plates, and these faults are the main source of earthquakes. The tectonic plates are
in continuous movement against each other at a rate of one to two inches (three to five centimeters)
per year. This movement creates three types of tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move
into one another; divergent, where plates move apart; and transform, where plates move sideways in
relation to each other. ➢ Convergent Boundaries Where plates serving landmasses collide, the crust
crumples and buckles into mountain ranges. India and Asia crashed about 55 million years ago, slowly
giving rise to the Himalayas, the highest mountain system on Earth. As the mash-up continues, the
mountains get higher. Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, may be a tiny bit taller tomorrow than
it is today. (Continental-Continental) These convergent boundaries also occur where a plate of ocean
dives, in a process called subduction, under a landmass. As the overlying plate lifts up, it also forms
mountain ranges. In addition, the diving plate melts and is often spewed out in volcanic eruptions such
as those that formed some of the mountains in the Andes of South America. (Oceanic-Continental) At
ocean-ocean convergences, one plate usually dives beneath the other, forming deep trenches like the
Mariana Trench in the North Pacific Ocean, the deepest point on Earth. These types of collisions can also
lead to underwater volcanoes that eventually build up into island arcs like Japan. (Oceanic-Oceanic) ➢
Divergent Boundaries At divergent boundaries in the oceans, magma from deep in the Earth's mantle
rises toward the surface and pushes apart two or more plates. Mountains and volcanoes rise along the
seam. The process renews the ocean floor and widens the giant basins. A single mid-ocean ridge system
connects the world's oceans, making the ridge the longest mountain range in the world. On land, giant
troughs such as the Great Rift Valley in Africa form where plates are tugged apart. If the plates there
continue to diverge, millions of years from now eastern Africa will split from the continent to form a
new landmass. A mid-ocean ridge would then mark the boundary between the plates. ➢ Transform
Boundaries The San Andreas Fault in California is an example of a transform boundary, where two plates
grind past each other along what are called strike-slip faults. These boundaries don't produce
spectacular features like mountains or oceans, but the halting motion often triggers large earthquakes,
such as the 1906 one that devastated San Francisco

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