1. Divergent boundaries

2. What is this picture showing?

3. Divergent Boundaries:
A boundary between two plates that are moving away from each other.

5. As the plates get dragged apart, some magma is pushed up through that crack between the two and new crust is created. Sometimes the magma gets high enough that it sticks out of the water. That is how the island of Iceland has formed.

6. Occasionally, this process breaks continents apart.

7. Magnetic Stripes
As crust is formed at the ridge, the magnetic properties of the rock line up with Earth's current magnetic field. As Earth's magnetic field reverses, the newly-formed rock lines up and symmetrical lines of alternating polarity are formed.

8. Summary
To diverge means to separate or split. Divergent boundaries are where two plates move away from each other because of convection in the mantle. Most of the time it happens under the ocean at the mid-ocean ridge. New crust is created as the plates separate. Crust that is closer to the ridge is newer. On each side of the ridge, there are symmetrical bands of crust that share age and magnetic polarity with the band of crust on the other side.