PLATE TECTONICS: TYPES OF PLATE INTERACTIONS

Plate Interactions and Their Results

LEFT: three basic types of plate interactions. RIGHT: results of stress building inside the plate

Plate Separation

Oceanic floor split along the Mid-Atlantic ridge

Plate Sliding Beneath Each Other: Subduction Zone

Oceanic plate is sliding beneath the oceanic (LEFT) and continental (RIGHT) plates, forming a subduction zone. Diving plate melts and rising lava forms volcanic belts

Plate Sliding Alongside Each Other

Two continental plates slide horizontally, past one another, leading to the formation of fault (or transform-fault) boundary

Continental Plate Collision and Jamming

LEFT: head-on collision between two contental plates. CENTER-RIGHT: collision of Indian subcontinent with Asia and Himalaya building