1. The surface of the Earth is made up of large pieces called tectonic plates that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
2. When the plates move, the crust of the Earth is broken into about 15 major plates and many smaller ones that float on the liquid mantle.
3. Volcanoes and earthquakes occur along plate boundaries where plates meet or slide past each other.
4. Divergent boundaries are where plates are moving apart and new crust is created by magma rising from the mantle.
5. Convergent boundaries are where plates are moving toward each other and one plate may be forced under another (subduction).
6. Transform boundaries are where plates slide horizontally past each other and cause earthquakes.
7. The plates are always slowly changing the shape of the Earth’s surface over millions of years.
8. The three main types of plate boundaries are divergent, convergent, and transform.
9. The plates that make up the crust fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
10. The plates move due to convection currents in the mantle.
11. We can tell what happened in the past by studying rock layers, fossils, and landforms.
12. At the continental-continental plate boundary, two continents collide and form mountain ranges.
13. At the oceanic-oceanic plate boundary, one oceanic plate subducts under another, forming trenches and volcanic island arcs.
14. At the oceanic-continental plate boundary, the denser oceanic plate subducts under the continental plate, forming volcanoes and mountain ranges.
15. Mid-ocean ridges occur at divergent boundaries where new crust is formed as magma rises and cools.
16. Mountain ranges occur at convergent boundaries where plates collide and push up the crust.
17. At a convergent boundary, one plate is forced under another (subduction), which can cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of plate boundaries worksheet.
