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Plate Tectonics

Hot spots are intensely hot regions deep within the Earth that rise to just underneath the surface. Some of these can produce volcanoes and Island chains.

Hot spots also include Hot springs and geysers.

Divergent boundaries are an area where two or more tectonic plates are moving away from each other. This is also called an extensional boundary.

Mid-ocean ridges, and rift valleys form because of divergent boundaries.

A rift valley is depression in the ground caused by the Earth's crust spreading apart.

A mid-ocean ridge is just simply an underwater mountain range.

Two examples of a divergent boundary include the Great rift valley in Africa, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland.

The Great rift valley spreads throughout 7 countries in Africa , and covers about 2% of the continent.

Convergent boundaries are areas where two or more tectonic plates bump into each other. This is also called a collision zone. Sometimes during the formation of a  convergent boundary, subduction occurs.

A mountain chain is a row of high mountains caused by the collision of two tectonic plates. A mountain chain is a convergent plate boundary.

Some examples of convergent boundaries include the Himalayan Mountains, and Andes Mountains.

Believe it or not, the ring of fire is known as a subduction zone.

A transform boundary is an area where two plates slide past one another.

Transform boundaries can cause Earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

One example of a transform boundary is the San Andreas Fault.

The San Andreas Fault is a transform fault that extends 1,200 kilometers through California.

Some examples of hot spots include the Hawaiian Island, and Yellowstone National Park.

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