Plate Margins

Task

Download a large version of each of the diagrams above, by clicking on them and then right-clicking > Save Picture as.

Paste the images into an application such as Publisher or PowerPoint which allows you to easily label a diagram.

1. Label 'plate' and 'mantle' onto each of the diagrams.
2. Find a diagram for a Collision margin.
3. Label the following onto the correct diagrams:

• Plates get locked together and pressure builds up.
• Example: Mid Atlantic Ridge
• Example: When the Indian plate hit the Eurasian plate and formed the Himalayan mountains.
• New plate being made.
• No volcanoes.
• Generally explosive volcanic eruptions.
• Plate being forced into the mantle.
• Magma rising to form volcanoes.
• Deep earthquakes.
• Example: When the Nazca plate meets the South American plate to form the Andes Mountains.
• No volcanoes.
• Generally gentle volcanic eruptions.
• Lots of earthquakes.
• Example: The San Andreas Fault, near San Francisco, USA.
• One plate is denser than the other so sinks.
• Shallow earthquakes.
• Plates moving past each other.
• Two plates collide with each other.
• Mountains are formed.
• Some earthquakes.
• Plate melting.
• Plate being pulled apart.

Plate Margin Animations

Observe animations of processes that occur along plate boundaries

Constructive Plate Margin

Subduction / Destructive Plate Margin

Subduction / Destructive Plate Margin forming an Island Arc

Collision Boundary