What is the relationship between Plate tectonics and mountain formations/earthquakes/volcanoes?
1 Answer
The movement of the tectonic plates results in the formation of earthquakes, mountain formations and volcanos.
Explanation:
Plate movements are thought to be caused by the movement of convection currents of liquid and semi liquid magma in the mantle.
The magma is what forms volcanos. The divergent boundaries of plate tectonics are breaks in the crust that allow the magma in the mantle to come to surface forming volcanos such as Mt Kenya, and Kilimanjaro, volcanic islands such as Iceland and mid ocean ridges.
When the mantle moves due to the convection currents attached parts of the crust ( tectonic plates) are carried along and moved.
There are places on the earth where the movement of the plate causes them to collide. These collisions cause convergent boundaries. The collisions of large masses of the crust result in mountains ( such as the Himilayans ) , earthquakes ( such as the San Andreas fault) .
At subduction zones ocean plates are pushed under continental plates by differences in density and pulled under by the convection currents. The results are the formation of mountains like the Andes of South America and volcanos like Mt St Helens, as well as earthquakes due to the movement of the plates.
Plate tectonics can be used to explain the formation of mountains, volcanos, and earthquakes.
