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Oceanic crust is denser (heavier) than continental crust so the continental crust forces
the oceanic crust underneath it. This is a process called subduction.
At the subduction zone a deep sea trench is formed where the plate is being forced
downwards under the continental plate. When the oceanic crust begins to melt as it
goes down into the hot mantle it starts to float back up, because it is made up of lighter
material than the mantle. This means that the magma erupts back to the surface
creating volcanoes.
When continental plates meet continental plates neither can subduct the other
because they both have the same density. The plates are being forced together at
great pressure so the rocks crumble together and form massive mountain chains like
the Himalayas. The Himalayas are still growing today as the plates continue to be
pushed together at about 1 or 2cm a year!
The Himalayas are an example of fold mountains, where the rocks are colliding and
folding together to form mountains. The Earths crust is thickest at this point (70km
thick)
Constructive boundaries
Iceland is splitting between the North
American and Eurasian plates. It will
either increase in size, or split into two
different islands!
Plate Boundary
Diagram
Description
Example
Constructive divergent
plate boundaries
Constructive plate
boundaries occur when
two plates move away
from each other .
Destructive
(subduction zones)
plate boundaries
Destructive plate
boundaries occur when
an oceanic plate is
forced under (or
subducts) a continental
plate .
Conservative
(transform faults) plate
boundaries
Conservative plate
boundaries occur when
two plates slide past
each other.
Collision plate
boundaries
Collision plate
boundaries occur when
two continental plates
move towards each
other.
Exam Questions
1. Study Figure 5. Give two facts about the
distribution of volcanoes(2)
2. The location of Mt St Helens, an active
volcano in the USA, is shown on Figure 5.
This volcano occurs at a compressional
(destructive) plate boundary. Draw a
labelled diagram to explain why volcanoes
occur at compressional plate boundaries
(4)
Mt St Helens