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CONVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES When two plates are pushing into each other, their boundary is convergent. Volcanoes and mountains usually form on the boundary. There are three kinds of convergent plate boundaries: oceanic, continental, and a combination of both. O ya I'm a mouse and a big one to.



When two ocean plates converge, they create an oceanic boundary. The older, denser plate subducts beneath the less-dense one. The Mariana Trench formed in the Pacific Ocean from the Pacific plate subducting beneath the Eurasian plate. Sometimes underwater volcanoes build up from oceanic boundaries. The lower plate melts into magma and rises through the upper plate, resulting in a volcanic eruption.
 * Oceanic**

When an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate, the ocean plate slides beneath the land. Japan is a common example for all types of plate tectonics due to its active land. The Pacific Ocean plate converges with the Philipine and Eurasian plates, building the islands of Japan. There are constant earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions on the islands.
 * Ocean-Continent**

When two land plates collide, they build up mountains and similar elevated formations. The Himalayan mountain range is great proof of the Indian and Asain plate smashing against each other. Mount Everest formed from these tectonic plates converging, and it is inching higher through the years.
 * Continental**



DIVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES Divergent%2Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 roxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 ates pull apart from one another, creating a deep fault. Currents lift up and flow within the plates, causing them to separate. Magma pushes up from the exposed mantle and forms new crust. Volcanoes often form along the boundaries as well. The Pacific plate and Nazca plate are diverging, creating volcanoes on their edges. Sometimes water fills the large crack that is made. The Red Sea is between the divergent African and Arabian plates. The Great Rift Valley in Africa is another low point between the same plates. Africa and Saudi Arabia pull apart, creating the broad valley.



TRANSFORM PLATE BOUNDARIES When two plates slide past one another, a transform boundary is made. Faults form along the boundary, and mild earthquakes are common in the area. The San Andreas Fault in California is a crack that resulted from the Pacific plate and North American plate grinding past each other. The Indian and Arabian plates are connected by large ridges and troughs, and strong tension and earthquakes are present along the transform boundary. Another active transform area is in the Caribbean around Puerto Rico. The transform boundary of the Caribbean plate and North American plate formed the extremely deep Puerto Rico Trench. It is one of the lowest points in the Pacific Ocean with very strong gravity.

**//Bibliography//** "Plate Tectonics." //National Geographic//. National Geographic Society, 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

"Geology and Earth Science." //Geology.com//. N.p., 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

"Tectonic Plates and Plate Boundaries." Teacher's Domain. National Science Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

"Understanding Plate Motions." USGS. N.p., 5 May 1999. Web