Boundaries,

Stresses,
and Faults
OH MY!

How do geologic events change

and shape Earths surface?
Remember

The Lithosphere is made of

The CRUST + The Upper Rigid
Mantle

Plates may be called by different

names: Crustal Plates
Lithospheric Plates
Tectonic Plates
 Plates around Earth move
in different directions & cause
different geologic events (things that
happen on Earth).
 Lets recall what makes the
plates move

Convection Currents in the mantle move the plates

as the core heats the slowly-flowing asthenosphere
(the elastic/plastic-like part of the mantle).
There are 3 types of Plate
Boundaries.
Each one has a type of
STRESS on the rock
& a way that it breaks, called
a FAULT:
Divergent Boundaries
Lets
Convergent Boundaries
break
Transform Boundaries
it
 Divergent Boundaries
Place where 2 plates pull away from each other
How is the rock pulled at
Divergent Boundaries?

Rock gets THIN in the middle as

it is pulled apart.

This STRESS is called

What happens when the rock
SNAPS from the Stress of
Tension?

A Normal Fault (fault is a break

in Earths crust)

Rock drops down as it

breaks
 What happens next @ Divergent
Boundaries?
A geologic
feature or event
May form RIFT
VALLEYS on
continents

SEA-FLOOR
SPREADING in the
ocean
 Helpful Hints
Divergent is like dissecting or dividing

If you pull warm bubble gum or silly putty,

it will thin in the middle until it is stressed
so much that it breaks.

Happens on land
& under H2O
Convergent Boundaries

Places
where
plates
crash (or
crunch)
together
or subduct
(one sinks
under)
 How is the rock pushed at
convergent boundaries?
Rock is pressed or squeezed
together.

This stress is called COMPRESSION

What happens when the rock is
squeezed from the Stress of
Compression?
A REVERSE FAULT
Rock is forced upward as it is
squeezed.
What happens next @ Convergent
Boundaries?
May form Mountain Ranges.
These are Folded Mtns. Like the
Himalayas or the Rockies.
 What else happens @ Convergent
Boundaries?
May form
Volcanoes
@ Subduction
Zones
as denser
oceanic plate
dives under
less dense
continental
plate.
 Helpful Hints
Convergent = Connecting boundaries
May work like a trash compactor
smashing rock.
Rock goes crunches up to make folded
mountains.
Rock goes down under @ subduction zone.
 Transform Boundaries
Place where 2 plates slide past each
other
 How is the rock broken at
Transform Boundaries?
Rock is pushed
in two opposite
directions (or
sideways, but
no rock is lost)

This stress is
called
SHEARING
 What happens when the rock is
sheared (or cut) from the
Stress of Shearing?
A STRIKE-SLIP FAULT
Rocks on each side of the fault
slip past each other as they
break.
 What happens next at Transform
Boundaries?
May cause
Earthquakes
when the rock
snaps from the
pressure.
A famous fault
@ a Transform
Boundary is
the San
Andreas Fault
in California.
 Helpful Hints
Shearing means cutting (Shears
are like scissors)
Transform boundaries run like trains
going past each other in different
directions & they shake
San the ground!
Andreas
Fault, CA

Plate Boundaries:

Can you match

the boundary
name correctly
with its
diagram?

A._____________
B._____________
C._____________
 Plate Boundaries:
Correct
Answers:

A.Divergent
B.Convergent
C.Transform
 Standard:
S6E5. Students will investigate the scientific
view of how the earths surface is formed.
d. Describe processes that change
rocks and the surface of the earth.

Review: (Make sure you use voc. from

your notes)
1. How does the process of subduction
recycle rock?
2. How can magma rise up on the ocean
floor?
3. What happens to rock to form folded
 Standard:
S6E5. Students will investigate the
scientific view of how the earths
surface is formed
e. Recognize that lithospheric plates
constantly move and cause major
geological events on the earths surface.
Review:
1. List the geologic event(s) that can occur at
each plate boundary. (What happens or is formed here?)
____ & ____ @ Divergent Boundaries
____ & ____ @ Convergent Boundaries
__________ @ Transform Boundaries
 Standard:
S6E5. Students will investigate the
scientific view of how the earths
surface is formed
f. Explain the effects of physical
processes plate tectonics ( , erosion, deposition, volcanic

on geological features
eruption, gravity) including oceans
(composition, currents, and tides).

Review: (Make sure to use voc. from your

notes)
1.Explain how Earthquakes occur.
2.How can new ocean floor be created?
3.How do mountain ranges form?