PLATE TECTONICS
Plate tectonics is one of the topic that we have studied in our junior highs. The rigid Lithospheric slabs and solid crustal layers are called plates. This is the whole mechanism in which the evolution, nature, collision, sliding and motion of rigid Lithospheric plates and resultant reaction is called Plate tectonics. Their motion, and collisions can explain several geological events like Earthquake.
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The term plate was first used by Canadian Geophysicist J.T Wilson in 1965. There are mainly six major Plates( Eurasian plate, Indian-Australian plate, American plate, pacific plate, African plate and Antarctica plate) and 20 minor.
Plate boundaries:
There are four types of plate boundaries:
- Convergent plate boundaries-also known as Destructive or consuming boundary-when continental plate and oceanic plate collide and oceanic plate Subducted into the mantle and and then destroyed. This causes explosive volcanoes and violent Earthquake ex., Himalayas.
- Divergent Plate Boundaries-also known as Constructive boundary-when two oceanic Plates move away from each other along the mid-oceanic ridge and up welling of molten lava and new oceanic crust is continuously formed. ex. mid Atlantic ridge.
- Transform Plate boundary also known as Conservative boundary-when two plates pass or slide past one another along transform fault and thus crust is neither created nor destroyed. ex. San Andres fault.
- Collision boundary-when two continental plates move together and sink into the mantle.
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