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1.406z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></header> <div id="inner-wrap" class="wrap kt-clear"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <div class="content-container site-container"> <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> <div class="content-wrap"> <article id="post-13861" class="entry content-bg single-entry post-13861 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header post-title title-align-center title-tablet-align-center title-mobile-align-inherit"> <div class="kadence-breadcrumbs yoast-bc-wrap"><span><span><a href="https://earthhow.com/">Home</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/">Geology</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/plate-tectonics/">Plate Tectonics</a></span> 禄 <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">Plate Tectonic Types: Divergent, Convergent and Transform Plates</span></span></div><h1 class="entry-title">Plate Tectonic Types: Divergent, Convergent and Transform Plates</h1><div class="entry-meta entry-meta-divider-customicon"> <div class="meta-comments"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-comments-alt-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 28 28"><title>Comments</title><path d="M10 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM16 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM22 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM14 6c-6.5 0-12 3.656-12 8 0 2.328 1.563 4.547 4.266 6.078l1.359 0.781-0.422 1.5c-0.297 1.109-0.688 1.969-1.094 2.688 1.578-0.656 3.016-1.547 4.297-2.672l0.672-0.594 0.891 0.094c0.672 0.078 1.359 0.125 2.031 0.125 6.5 0 12-3.656 12-8s-5.5-8-12-8zM28 14c0 5.531-6.266 10-14 10-0.766 0-1.531-0.047-2.266-0.125-2.047 1.813-4.484 3.094-7.187 3.781-0.562 0.156-1.172 0.266-1.781 0.344h-0.078c-0.313 0-0.594-0.25-0.672-0.594v-0.016c-0.078-0.391 0.187-0.625 0.422-0.906 0.984-1.109 2.109-2.047 2.844-4.656-3.219-1.828-5.281-4.656-5.281-7.828 0-5.516 6.266-10 14-10v0c7.734 0 14 4.484 14 10z"></path> </svg></span><a class="meta-comments-link anchor-scroll" href="#comments">3 Comments</a></div></div></header> <div class="entry-content single-content"> <figure class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="678" height="378" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Plate-Tectonics-Types-678x378.png" alt="Plate Tectonics Types" class="wp-image-2693"/></figure> <div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p>“Plate boundaries interact with each other in 3 primary ways. The types of plate tectonic boundaries are divergent, convergent, and transform (conservative).”</p> </blockquote> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/> <div style="height:15px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div><p>Here’s a short description of the 3 types of plate tectonics:</p> <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong>DIVERGENT PLATES</strong>: Divergent plates pull apart from each other.</li> <li><strong>CONVERGENT PLATES</strong>: Convergent plates push boundaries together.</li> <li><strong>TRANSFORM (CONSERVATIVE) PLATES</strong>: Conservative (transform) plate boundaries slide across from each other.</li> </ol> <p>Now, let’s take a look at each type of tectonic plate boundary in a bit more detail.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">A glimpse at Earth’s tectonic plate boundaries</h3> <p>The <a href="https://earthhow.com/north-american-plate/">North American major plate</a> not only contains the continent of North America but also the Atlantic Ocean. This plate extends all the way over the North Pole and even contains Siberia and the northern island of Japan.</p> <p>While the North American Plate is a major plate, the Scotia Plate is a minor plate because of its smaller relative size. The Scotia Plate is surrounded by two major plates which really control where it moves.</p> <div class="wp-block-image size-medium_plus wp-image-5378 is-style-default"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="550" height="325" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-550x325.png" alt="7 major plate tectonics" class="wp-image-5378" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-550x325.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-300x177.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-675x399.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-425x251.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-1536x908.png 1536w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-2048x1210.png 2048w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-850x502.png 850w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/plate_tectonics_labels-1350x798.png 1350w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Earth is broken up into tectonic plates. They are unusual in shape because they contain both oceanic and continental crust.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Plates are always moving. Even though their movements are very slow, we can track them with extremely precise GPS measurements. By using GPS, we know they move only about 5-10 cm every year.</p> <p>About 200 million years ago, Earth was assembled as one <a href="https://earthhow.com/pangaea-supercontinent/">giant supercontinent “Pangaea”</a>. Over time, it tore apart the world we know today. But in which direction do plates move? Plate boundaries can be divergent, convergent, and transform.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p>“Like the seams of a baseball, tectonic plate boundaries wrap around the Earth. Earth鈥檚 tectonic plate boundaries are unusual because they can consist of continents and oceans.”</p> </blockquote> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Divergent boundary plates move away from each other</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><a href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/"><img decoding="async" width="290" height="300" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mid-Oceanic-Ridge-290x300.png" alt="Mid-Oceanic Ridge" class="wp-image-1706" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mid-Oceanic-Ridge-290x300.png 290w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mid-Oceanic-Ridge.png 407w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px"/></a></figure></div><p>The Earth has 70,000 km of continuous volcanoes under the ocean. Plate tectonics begin at mid-oceanic ridges where <strong>plates are moving apart</strong>. Because plates pull apart from each other at divergent plates, lava spews out to create the <a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-crust-oceanic-crust-continental-crust/">youngest geological rocks on Earth</a>.</p> <p>Another example of a divergent plate is the <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/">African major plate</a> where it’s in the process of rifting apart into two separate plates becoming the ocean. In addition, the Somalian and Nubian plates will one day tear apart and become a new ocean.</p> <p>At <a href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">divergent plate boundaries</a>, they pull apart from each other at mid-oceanic ridges, which creates some of the youngest geological rock and even new oceans. But what happens at the opposite end of the plate?</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p>“Most divergent plates are beneath the oceans and we don鈥檛 realize it鈥檚 even happening. Lava erupts out from underwater volcanoes at mid-oceanic ridges. If you removed all the water from Earth, these ridges would be the most prominent feature on Earth.”</p> </blockquote> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Convergent boundary plates push into each other</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><a href="https://earthhow.com/convergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="290" height="300" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mountain-Building-290x300.png" alt="Mountain Building" class="wp-image-1714" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mountain-Building-290x300.png 290w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mountain-Building.png 407w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px"/></a></figure></div><p>At <a href="https://earthhow.com/convergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">convergent plate boundaries</a>, they have some of the most violent catastrophes and geology on Earth. When plates smash together, it has created chains of volcanoes. For example, almost all along the <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-ring-of-fire-volcanoes/">Pacific Ring of Fire</a>, plates collide and sink into the ocean floor at zones of subduction.</p> <p>But continents don鈥檛 always collide with oceans. Sometimes, continents collide with other continents, which <a href="https://earthhow.com/mountain-building/">creates mountains</a>. You can look all around the world and find examples. For example, the Nazca plate has created the Andes mountain range.</p> <p>It鈥檚 just that erosion wears it away fairly quickly. For example, the Appalachians used to be 5 miles higher, when Africa collided with North America. But over 300 million years, <a href="https://earthhow.com/mass-wasting/">weathering and erosion</a> have torn them down and washed them through streams.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p>“Convergent boundaries or subduction zones are where two plates collide with each other. Because matter cannot be destroyed, it forces one of the plates into the mantle underneath.”</p> </blockquote> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default"/></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Transform boundary plates slide across each other</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><a href="https://earthhow.com/transform-plate-boundaries-tectonics/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="290" height="300" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Convergent-Divergent-Transform-Plate-Types-0-290x300.png" alt="Convergent Divergent Transform Plate Types" class="wp-image-2021" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Convergent-Divergent-Transform-Plate-Types-0-290x300.png 290w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Convergent-Divergent-Transform-Plate-Types-0.png 407w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px"/></a></figure></div><p>Lastly, conservative (transform) plate boundaries don’t collide with each other nor pull apart. Instead, transform plates <strong>slide across from each other</strong>. We find most transform plates in the ocean basin connecting at mid-ocean ridges.</p> <p>For example, the San Andreas fault is between the North American plate and the <a href="https://earthhow.com/pacific-plate/">Pacific plate boundary</a>. While the North American plate in the east moves in the southwest direction, the Pacific plate in the west moves northwest.</p> <p>At <a href="https://earthhow.com/transform-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">transform plate boundaries</a>, they’re neither convergent nor divergent. For example, the Scotia Plate is surrounded by two major plates. But its neighboring plates control how much it moves in either direction.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Continental drift and moving continents</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><a href="https://earthhow.com/continental-drift-plate-tectonics/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="290" height="300" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Supercontinent-Cycle-290x300.png" alt="Supercontinent Cycle" class="wp-image-1820" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Supercontinent-Cycle-290x300.png 290w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Supercontinent-Cycle.png 407w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px"/></a></figure></div><p>The ground beneath is not constant. It’s a vibrant, dynamic planet. Over long periods of time, continents move. This phenomenon is <a href="https://earthhow.com/continental-drift-plate-tectonics/">continental drift</a>.</p> <p>For example, earthquakes split the Earth鈥檚 crust <a href="https://earthhow.com/mountain-building/">creating mountain ranges</a> and new land. Even geysers shoot out water when it seeps into the Earth鈥檚 cracks.</p> <p>Plate tectonics drive the reshaping of continents. Inch by inch, this accounts for incredibly long distances over millions of years.</p> <p>Continents collide creating a <a href="https://earthhow.com/supercontinent-cycle/">supercontinent cycle</a>. Then, they detach again into a new configuration. All the result of convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Plate Tectonic Types</h3> <p>Plate tectonics is the science that explains how Earth鈥檚 crust moves and changes over time. The movement of these plates causes earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, and other natural phenomena on Earth.</p> <p>Plate tectonics, a fundamental field of Earth science, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of our planet’s surface.</p> <p>If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment form below to let us know what’s on your mind.</p></div></div><div class="newsletter1"><span style="color:#FFFFFF">Subscribe to our newsletter:</span> <div class="tnp tnp-subscription-minimal"><form action="https://earthhow.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=tnp&na=s" method="post" style="text-align: center"><input type="hidden" name="nr" value="minimal"> <input type="hidden" name="nlang" value=""> <input class="tnp-email" type="email" required name="ne" value="" placeholder="Email"><input class="tnp-submit" type="submit" value="Subscribe" style=""> </form></div></div><div class="kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 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Claims evidence and reasoning. Can you please help me with this?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-5256" class="comment byuser comment-author-earthhow bypostauthor odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-5256" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">earthhow</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/plate-tectonics-types-divergent-convergent-transform-plates/#comment-5256"><time datetime="2020-10-07T20:46:51-06:00">October 7, 2020 at 8:46 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>The new crust is the lava flow from divergent plate tectonics.</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-5204" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-5204" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Janessa McGinnis</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/plate-tectonics-types-divergent-convergent-transform-plates/#comment-5204"><time datetime="2020-10-05T10:02:06-06:00">October 5, 2020 at 10:02 am</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>What happens to the crust, and does it break or create new crust, when two certain plates, either converge, diverge, or transform?</p></div></article> </li> </ol> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply</h3><form action="https://earthhow.com/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform" class="comment-form" novalidate><p class="comment-notes"><span id="email-notes">Your email address will not be published.</span> <span class="required-field-message">Required fields are marked <span class="required">*</span></span></p><p class="comment-form-comment comment-form-float-label"><textarea autocomplete="new-password" id="i477054932" name="i477054932" 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