TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARY
Plate boundaries
are lines at the edges of the different pieces of the lithosphere.
Lithospheric plates are moving due to the convection current in the Earth’s interior.
❖ it is made up of the crust and upper part of the mantle.
Two types of crusts:
a. continental crust which is thicker but less dense.
b. oceanic crust which is thinner and denser.
According to the Plate Tectonic Theory, the Earth’s lithosphere consists of the crust and upper
mantle that move slowly and constantly over time. This movement causes the formation of plate
boundaries namely: divergent, convergent, and transform fault boundaries.
1. DIVERGENT BOUNDARY
❖ formed when two tectonic plates move apart from each other creating tension. Molten rocks called
magma to rise from the Earth’s mantle to the surface. The Earth’s surface is cool enough to solidify
the magma that rose, thus, creating new oceanic crust or seafloor. It is also known as a constructive
boundary.
Mid-ocean ridge is formed by the divergence between oceanic plates.
Continental rift valley is formed between continental plates.
Figure 1. Divergent Plate Boundary Figure 2. Divergent Plate Boundary
(Oceanic-Oceanic) (Continental- Continental)
❖ Rift valley can also be found at the bottom of the ocean where seafloor spreading occurs. Both the
formation of mid-ocean ridge and rift valley had the occurrence of an earthquake.
❖ Examples are boundaries between South American plate and African plate, Pacific Plate and Nazca
Plate, and North American Plate and Eurasian Plate.
CONVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARY
❖ formed when two plates move toward each other.
❖ it is also called a destructive boundary, since the oceanic plate is destroyed at the
convergence of two plates.
This boundary has three types:
a. Oceanic-Continental plate boundary
✓ the oceanic plate bends down into the mantle
through the process called subduction.
✓ Oceanic plate sinks because it is denser than
the continental plate.
✓ The leading edge of the subducted plate melts
in the mantle and magma rises forming a
continental volcanic arc in oceanic-
continental boundary, which is parallel to the
trench that is formed due to subduction.
b. Oceanic - Oceanic plate boundary
✓ the older plate sinks because older
plates are denser than the younger
plates.
✓ island volcanic arc is formed
parallel to the trench. An
earthquake occurs at this
boundary.
✓ Trenches in the convergence of two
oceanic plates is deeper than the
trenches in the convergence of
oceanic-continental plates. Figure 4. Convergent Plate Boundary
✓ Examples are boundaries between (Oceanic-Oceanic)
the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Source: https://slidetodoc.com/activating-
strategy/
plate, Nazca Plate and South
American Plate, and Pacific Plate and Australian Plate.
c. Continental-Continental plate
boundary.
✓ a tension zone is formed. Both
plates collide and buckle up
causing mountain ranges.
✓ Examples are Himalayas
mountain ranges.
✓ There is no subduction, no trench, Figure 5. Convergent Plate
Boundary and no volcanoes formed in this type
(Continental- Continental)
of convergent boundary Source: https://slidetodoc.com/activating-strategy/
Source:https ://edu.glogster.com/glog/oscarm -edit43 0
Figure 1 - Divergent Plate Boundary
Figure 6. Transform Fault Boundary
Source:
https://slidetodoc.com/activating-strategy/
TRANSFORM FAULT BOUNDARY
❖ formed when two plates are sliding past each other.
❖ it is also called the Strike-slip fault. This type of plate boundary does not destroy or build up
Earth’s crust.
❖ Rocks that line the boundary split into pieces as the plates slip at each other.
❖ A crack is then formed creating an
undersea canyon or linear fault
valley. San Andreas Fault is an
example of this.
NAME:________________________________________________ DATE: _____________________
Activity 1. Matchy-Matchy!
Objectives: Describe the different types of plate boundary.
What you need: Paper and pen
What to do:
Part A.
1. Match the type of plate boundaries in column A with its description in column B.
2. Write the letter of the correct answer on the separate sheet of paper.
A. B.
1. Motion
_______ Convergent Boundary a. Tectonic plates move apart
_______ Divergent Boundary b. Tectonic plates move toward each other
_______ Transform Boundary c. Tectonic plates are sliding past each other
2. Effects
_______ Convergent Boundary a. Mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys
_______ Divergent Boundary b. Fault lines
_______ Transform Boundary c. Subduction, mountains, volcanoes
3. Examples
______ Convergent Boundary a. Himalayas mountain ranges
______ Divergent Boundary b. San Andreas Fault
______ Transform Boundary c. Atlantic mid-ocean ridge, African rift valley
4. Convergent Boundary
_______ Continental-Oceanic a. Subduction, volcanoes, trenches
_______ Oceanic-Oceanic b. Subduction, deeper trenches, volcanoes
_______ Continental-Continental c. Mountain ranges like Himalayas
Part B.
1. Complete the paragraph by filling up the correct term/s in its respective blank space.
2. This is a Cloze test which means that there is no other answer aside from the term/s taken
from the box below.
3. You can only use each word once.
continental theory geologic divergent
lithosphere plates subduction convection current
slowly denser toward transform fault
two two oceanic plate –
oceanic continental continental
plates plates Plate
(1) _______________ is made of earth’s crust and upper mantle. It is subdivided into
portions called (2) _______________ that move above the mantle. The two kinds of crust are
(3) __________________ crust, which is thicker but less dense, and oceanic crust, which is
thinner but (4) _______________. A (5) _______________ that the Earth’s crust is made up of
plates moving (6) _______________ and interact in various ways is Plate Tectonics. The
interaction of the plates produces earthquakes, mountains, volcanoes, and other (7)
_______________ features. (8) __________________________from the Earth’s interior makes
the plates move above the mantle. This movement causes the formation of three types of
plate boundaries which are (9)
__________________boundary, two plates sliding each other; (10) ____________________
boundary, two plates moving away from each other and convergent boundary which
plates are moving (11) ______________each other. Three types of convergent boundaries
are (12) ____________________convergent boundary which forms volcanic island arc, (13)
______________________________ convergent boundary forming a continental volcanic arc,
and (14) _____________________________ convergent boundary wherein there is no (15)
_______________.
Activity 2. Know its Boundary!
Objective: Differentiate the three types of plate boundary.
What you need: paper and pen What to
do:
1. Complete the Venn diagram by writing the terms/statements presented in the box below.
2. Write the differences of the types of plate boundary in the outside circle under each
description while the similarities in the overlapping part of the three circles.
Convergent Boundary Divergent
Boundary
Transform
FaultBoundary
1.Plates move towards each other
2. Subduction occur
3. Volcanoes Occur
4. New Crust is formed
5. Plates move away from each other
6. Plates sideways past each other
7. Crust destroyed
8. San Andreas Fault
9. Involve the movement of tectonic plates
10. Crust is neither formed or destroyed
