Download 6.5 NOTES What causes plate tectonics? Objective: Describe the

6.5 NOTES
What causes plate tectonics?
Objective: Describe the causes of plate tectonics
CONVECTION CURRENT is the movement of a gas or a liquid caused by
differences in temperature and density. For example, warm air rises,
and cool air sinks.
Convection currents in the upper
mantle cause the tectonic plates
to move. The cooler mantle
sinks closer to the core, heats up,
and then rises. The process
repeats in an endless cycle,
carrying the plates along like a
package on a conveyor belt.
PLATE BOUNDARIES AND MOVEMENTS
The place where 2 plates meet is called a plate boundary. There are
three different kinds of plate boundaries: transform, convergent, and
divergent.
Transform boundariesTwo plates slide past each other, causing earthquakes
Convergent boundariesPlates move toward each other. When oceanic crust meets continental
crust, the denser oceanic crust slides under the continental crust. This
produces a subduction zone.
If two continental plates meet, the crust crumples upward, forming a
mountain
Divergent boundariesTwo plates move apart, sometimes forming rift valleys