SCIENCE 10- QUARTER 1 WEEK 5 and 6

GEOLOGIC PROCESSES ALONG PLATE BOUNDARIES

Stress
- is the force applied to an object. In geology, stress is the force per unit area
that is placed on a rock.
TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARY
CONVERGENT
- Two tectonic plates move towards each other or collide head-on
- When two tectonic plates with different densities converge, the denser one
sinks into the mantle beneath the other.
How is the rock pushed at convergent
boundaries?
- Boundaries between two plates that are
colliding
- Rock is PRESSED or SQUEEZED together
- This stress is called COMPRESSION
What happens when the rock is squeezed from the Stress of Compression?
- The result is A REVERSE FAULT- it is
when rock is forced upward as it is
squeezed
Examples of Convergent Boundaries:
- The boundary between the Eurasian and Indian plates in the Himalayan
Mountain.
- The boundary between the Nazca and American plates in South America.
• In addition, if two oceanic plates (let’s say oceanic plate A and oceanic plate
B) are moving towards each other. Due to higher density, the leading crust of
oceanic plate B subducted to oceanic plate A. A geologic feather will be a
VOLCANIC ISLAND ARC.
SCIENCE 10- QUARTER 1 WEEK 5 and 6

• A correct sequence of a convergence of two oceanic plates is shown below:

DIVERGENT
- Plate boundary where tectonic plates move
apart 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 TENSION
What happens when the rock SNAPS from the Stress of Tension?
- A Normal Fault (fault is a break in
Earth’s crust)- it is when rock drops
down as it breaks
What happens next at Divergent
Boundaries?
- May form RIFT VALLEYS on continents
- SEA-FLOOR SPREADING in the ocean
SCIENCE 10- QUARTER 1 WEEK 5 and 6

TRANSFORM
- Two tectonic plates slide horizontally past one another.
- As two plates slide past one another, in a transform
boundary, neither plate is added to at the boundary, nor
destroyed.
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 next at Transform Boundaries?
• May cause Earthquakes when the rock snaps from the pressure.
• A famous fault at a Transform Boundary is the San Andreas Fault in
California.
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.