Earth Plate Tectonics

The crust is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates!

The convection currents in the Mantle push these plates around causing:

Linear Mountain ranges where continental plates collide with each other.

Chains of active volcanoes where an ocean plate collides with and goes under another plate.

Rift Valleys where the plates pull apart. That turn into mid-ocean ridges

Sliced and Shifted” terrain where plates slide by each other And in all these places… Earthquakes!

If you see all of these terrains on a planet. Plate Tectonics is the best explanation

Hot spots A “Hot Spot” is where consistent convection currents in the mantle melt the crust and force up magma to make a volcano With Plate Tectonics: The plate moves over the hot spot A chain of volcanoes form. Only the most recent is active Without Plate Tectonics: The hot spot affects only one place A Huge Solitary Volcano Results