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Dynamic Earth

Three Types of Plate Activity Divergent Activity
 * Divergent activity- magma rises and pushes plates apart
 * Convergent activity- A plate collides with another plate or dives under the plate
 * Transform activity- two plates grind against each other

Divergent activity forms rift valleys in the middle of the mid ocean ridge. Two plates move away from each other and forms a rift valley. When the to plates move away the rock in the middle loosens up and falls down. There is volcanic activity in this area. There is some earthquake activity at fracture zones on the mid ocean ridge.



Convergent Activity

Convergent Activity forms mountain ranges. The plates collide and then they push up. 30 to 50 million years ago, the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate. This formed the Himalaya mountains. this Mountain range contains the tallest mountain, Mount Everest. This can also make deep sea trenches along a continent. The Mariana Trench is an example of a trench and it is the deepest part of all of the oceans.



Transform Activity

Two plates grind against another plate and sometimes cause earthquakes. The most active earthquake area in the U.S is in the Pacific North West. The land on the rim around the Pacific ocean is very active to. This is called the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire includes the massive Pacific Plate and the smaller Juan Du Fuca and Philippine Plate. When an earthquake occurs in the ocean it can cause a Tsunami. a massive Tsunami hit in Indonesia. At some parts of the wave it measured to be 50 feet high. Earthquakes occur on a fault like the San Andreas fault.





Citations //National Geographic-Earthquakes//. 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. . //National Geographic- Dynamic Earth//. 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. . //Himalayan Mountains//. 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. . //Interactives Dynamic Earth//. 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. 