Download Divergent Plates - Earthquake Explorers

Name: ____________________
Tectonics Boundaries – Divergent
Open the digital learning object called ‘Tectonic Boundary – Divergent’ and as
you step through it, answer the following questions.
1. What type of force is causing the movement at the boundary investigated
between Africa and South America (i.e. the Mid Atlantic Ridge)?
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2. What is the distance moved in the 30 million years of time that is examined?
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3. What type of boundary is the one investigated?
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4. What is the average distance that the plates move in a year at this boundary?
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5. As the two plates move apart, what happens to the gap between them?
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6. Where does the molten rock from between the plates end up?
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7. Describe how the height of the crust changes as you move away from the plate
boundary.
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8. What happens to the density of the molten rock that is pushing up between the
plates as it cools?
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9. Describe the key events that are occurring as the plates move apart.
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Name: ____________________
10. Describe the age of the rocks each side of the plate boundary.
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11. On land, divergent plate boundaries produce large cracks in the ground that are
volcanic vents. What are these vents called?
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12. Boundaries of this type are rare on land (i.e. above the ocean floor). Where is
the most famous example of this type? (i.e. name the location/country).
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13. Press the ‘back’ button until you come to the side view diagram of this boundary.
Draw and label a side view diagram of this boundary type. Then, using plasticine,
toothpicks and labels, and the hints provided to you below, create a labelled model
of this boundary type. You may like to photograph it and put it in your science
journal.
Hints to help you build your plate boundary model:
blue plasticine = oceanic plate,
red plasticine = magma
arrows engraved in the plasticine plates = direction of movement of the plates
labels = for title of your model – i.e. Divergent Boundary – oceanic-oceanic plate (perhaps you
could give a place on the map that this is actually occurring based on information in the learning
object – example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge)
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