Plate
Tectonics
Cross-section through the Earth showing two kinds of plate
boundaries: a mid-ocean ridge and a subduction zone.
Version
2.0 
page
9 of 17
page
9 of 17 |
Plate
Tectonics
|
|
Cross-section through the Earth showing two kinds of plate boundaries: a mid-ocean ridge and a subduction zone. |
| The outer part of the Earth is covered with rigid tectonic plates that slowly move around over the partially molten interior. There are three different ways that tectonic plates can interact. One way is spreading apart at the mid-ocean ridges. A second way is moving toward each other, which often forces one plate under the other, in a process called subduction. A third type of interaction occurs when one plate slides past another along a transform fault. |
|
Version
2.0
page
9 of 17 |