Plaques techtonique Overview in french Overview with volcanic eruption Detailed techtonics

Tectonic (Lithospheric) Plates Tectonic plates are fragments of the earth’s lithosphere that fit together like puzzle pieces to form the earth’s crust. The tectonic plates are floating on the mantle and their movement causes faults, rifts, volcanoes, mountains and formation of oceanic crust. The three types of movements are divergence (when they drift apart from each other), convergence (when they collide together) and transformation (when they slide past each other).

Convergence and Divergence When plates move apart from each other on one of their edges (divergence), they are coliding into each other (convergence) on the other side. mE mE Subduction is the process by which the oceanic crust of one tectonic plate slides underneath another plate, and becomes part of the mantle.

Subduction Zone

Mid Oceanic Ridge A mid oceanic ridge is where two plates diverge. As the two plates move away from one another, mantle rises between them creating oceanic crust.

Hydrothermal Vents

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