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All About Plate Tectonics!

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A divergent boundary is when two plates are moving away from one another. Examples of this are the Mid Atlantic Ridge in Iceland and the Great Rift Valley in Africa. 

All around Hawaii, are hot spots scattered around. They are small areas with temperatures much higher than areas around them. 

A convergent boundary is when two plates move into one another. An example of this is the Himalayan Mountains. Subduction zones like volcanoes and deep ocean trenches with island arcs are also convergent boundaries. 

A transform boundary is where two plates are rubbing against one another and going up and down. Examples of this are the San Andres fault and Earthquakes. 

Honolulu & Waikiki - Oahu, Hawaii, South Pacific

Plate tectonics are the movement of Earth's plates. The Earth is always moving, slowly beneath us. It is estimated to move 1-6 inches per year. There are 7 major plates and 10 minor plates on Earth. 

There are two layers of the Earth that cause plates to move. The top layer is the lithosphere, and the layer below is the asthenosphere. This occurs due to convection currents throughout these layers. Convection currents occur when heat rises and falls inside the mantle, from radioactive decay in the core. 