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Visit the Interactive Plate Boundary Map to explore satellite images of divergent boundaries between oceanic plates. Two locations are marked: 1) the Mid-Atlantic Ridge exposed above sea level on the island of Iceland, and 2) the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Africa.
In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary (also known as a constructive boundary or an extensional boundary) is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust.
At divergent boundaries, sometimes called constructive boundaries, lithospheric plates move away from each other. There are two types of divergent boundaries, categorized by where they occur: continental rift zones and mid-ocean ridges.
Jan 6, 2024 · Plate Tectonics Series: Drawing & annotating a diagram of a divergent plate boundary. Featuring the ridge, lithospheric plate composition, density and asthen...
Divergent plate boundaries are locations where tensional forces are pulling things apart. In locations where lithospheric plates are diverging, the rates of divergent motion range from 2 to 17 cm/year.
The next time you teach plate tectonics, consider a draw-with-me presentation that will engage your students and help them understand the spatial and movement aspects of plate boundary environments. The process of drawing a picture involves students much more deeply than reading or discussion.
The figure below was drawn by a student to show the relationship between earthquake epicenters (filled circles) and a divergent plate boundary (red line). The figure represents a boundary between two oceanic plates. The size of the filled circle indicates the earthquake magnitude.
Divergent boundaries are where plates are moving away from each other, or spreading apart. The stress type at these locations is extension (stress is a force acting over an area) – the “pulling apart” stress. The terms spreading centers and rift zones refer to divergent boundaries.
There are four types of plate boundaries: Divergent boundaries -- where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. Convergent boundaries -- where crust is destroyed as one plate dives under another. Transform boundaries -- where crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the plates slide horizontally past each other.
