Experiment
Plate Tectonics
Earth's lithosphere is broken into rigid plates that drift on the convecting mantle. Where plates meet, earthquakes shake, volcanoes erupt, and mountains rise. Drag plates to change their velocity and watch boundaries respond.
Convergent (subduction)
Divergent (ridge)
Transform (fault)
Volcano
Earthquake
Boundary types
- Divergent: Plates pull apart. Magma rises to fill the gap, creating new oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges. Example: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
- Convergent: Plates push together. One plate subducts beneath the other, creating deep trenches, volcanic arcs, and mountain ranges. Example: the Andes.
- Transform: Plates slide past each other horizontally. No crust is created or destroyed, but friction produces earthquakes. Example: the San Andreas Fault.