Unit 10 part 2 Geology

Transform faults are large and long vertical fractures found within the Earth's crust that are caused by both divergent zones and because of Earth's curvature as a sphere.

Movement along these faults is side to side, which offset divergent zones or spreading centers (because  Earth is a sphere and does not rip apart like a plane)

Transform faults usually extend outwards for very long distances from the divergent zones.

San Andreas Fault

Different lithosphere plates meet or converge. This margin is the place where new larger continents may be combined by "collisions".

These plate boundaries are directly associated with Earth's most destructive earthquakes, volcanoes and with the largest mountains on Earth's surface.

Oceanic crust being subducted beneath oceanic crust (can create new continental crust).

Oceanic crust being subducted beneath continental crust (can expand existing areas of continental crust).

When both plates composed of continental crust collide (which can greatly increase the size of existing continents).

Oceanic crust is subducted beneath another oceanic crust which results in island arcs.

• Deep sea trenches found just offshore from the continents. 
• Violent volcanoes and earthquakes are located above and within this subduction zone. 
• Here continents can grow by acquiring "accreted terreains"

Seafloor, island arcs and ocean sedement that is "scraped off" onto a continenst as the oceanic crust is being subucted into the mantle (This can make continents larger).

When these crusts collide, one crust overrides another or "stacks up" to create enormous sized mountains.

Alps and the Himalayas.

Because convergent zones involve compression.

The most common reference for rates of plate motion is relative velocity or the movement of one plate relative to another plate.

States the convection of heat from the core and mantle drives plate movement.

States that oceanic slabs sink into the mantle under its own weight.

Came up by J. Tuzo Wilson. States that approximately every 500 million years, most of the Earth's plates collide together to form a massive continent.