As convection continues under the plate, the rock of the new cooling crust becomes brittle and eventually cracks again, reforming the rift and pushing new crust to either side. Circles around that pole correspond to the orientation of transform faults (that is, single lines in the horizontal that connect to divergent plate boundaries, marked by double lines, in the vertical).

Theoretical depiction of the movement of tectonic plates across Earth's surface. The plate, constructed of brittle lithosphere rock, is stretched by the movement of the convection and soon cracks. Scientists date the age of the crust by comparing the alignment with known magnetic reversals. Download image (jpg, 76 KB). Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.

In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary (also known as a constructive boundary or an extensional boundary) is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. By studying the material in oceanic divergent boundaries, scientists have been able to prove the plate tectonics theory. Continued plate divergence can completely rip a continent apart and open a new ocean between the continental fragments.

They move in different directions, converging, sliding or diverging. Effects that are found at this type of plate boundary include: a rift valley sometimes occupied by long linear lakes or a shallow arm of the ocean; numerous normal faults bounding a central rift valley; shallow earthquake activity along the n… Most seismic activity occurs at three types of plate boundaries—divergent, convergent, and transform. Oceanic crust is created along…, …plates move apart at a divergent plate boundary, the release of pressure produces partial melting of the underlying mantle. Plate with Thick Continental Crust Continental crust is thick and buoyant, and therefore sticks up above sea level. Japan and the Aleutian Islands are located on convergent boundaries where the Pacific Plate is moving beneath the adjacent continental plates—a process known as subduction. As a result, it wells up from below and cools close to the surface to generate new crust.…, …basic types of boundaries: convergent, divergent, and side-slipping. Just under the plates flows the hot, elastic asthenosphere. Plate Tectonics and Our National Parks—Site Index, Plate Tectonics—The Unifying Theory of Geology, Tectonic Settings of NPS Sites—Master List.

Magma from the upper mantle presses against the plate, pushing it upward, then flows off in opposite directions at the plate. Tectonic plates do not just drift on this upper mantle. This feature forms as magma escapes into the space between the spreading tectonic plates.
Figure 7: Idealized cross section of a divergent plate boundary showing the structure of the oceanic lithosphere. Continental Rift—Plate Rips Apart. This is an earthquake. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! If divergence continues, the continental crust completely breaks apart and thinner oceanic crust forms between the two continental blocks. This image shows the three main types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform. Effects that are found at a divergent boundary between oceanic plates include: a submarine mountain range such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge; volcanic activity in the form of fissure eruptions; shallow earthquake activity; creation of new seafloor and a widening ocean basin. She has worked with organizations such as US West AT, and SW Bell Silver Pages.

Some divergent boundaries are on the ocean floor where the lithosphere is thin; others are on land. Movement on a sphere of two plates, A and B, can be described as a rotation around a common pole. …oceanic ridges, which correspond to divergent plate boundaries. This sea is the first formation of a new ocean. These forces result in long mountain ranges, intervening valleys (basins) and volcanic activity characteristic of the Basin and Range Province and Rio Grande Rift. Examples of both processes are observed in the marine environment. At the subduction zones, which are associated with convergent plate boundaries, intermediate- and deep-focus earthquakes mark the location of the upper part of a dipping lithosphere slab.

Convection pushes the thick plate upward, stretching and fracturing it, forming a rift. Similar rock layers formed when the Colorado Plateau region was part of an ancient passive continental margin of North America.

This molten material, known as magma, is basaltic in composition and is buoyant. They have found that the oldest ocean crust is about 100 million years old.
It is the structure and geological processes of divergent boundaries that shape the continents and oceans over time by forming new crust and new oceans. Throughout its existence the North American continent has been subjected to forces trying to rip it apart, sometimes successfully. Other articles where Divergent plate boundary is discussed: earthquake: Tectonic associations: …oceanic ridges, which correspond to divergent plate boundaries. Magma from the upper mantle presses against the plate, pushing it upward, then flows off in opposite directions at the plate. New crust is formed at divergent boundaries on the ocean floor where the lithosphere is thin.

in English and linguistics, Sally Taylor has contracted research and writing services since 1986. The Red Sea was formed by diverging boundaries and is the beginning of what will eventually be part of the ocean.

As the plate stretches and thins, the underlying asthenosphere flows upward and expands like a hot-air balloon, lifting the region to higher elevations. As a plate capped by thick continental crust pulls apart, the crust thins and elevates a broad region. The plate, constructed of brittle lithosphere rock, is stretched by the movement of the convection and soon cracks. The landscapes of several National Park Service sites reveal divergent plate boundary processes that have resulted in continental rift zones and passive continental margins. As new crust is formed, other plates are pushed by the spreading ocean floor. Three-dimensional diagram showing crustal generation and destruction according to the theory of plate tectonics; included are the three kinds of plate boundaries—divergent, convergent (or collision), and strike-slip (or transform). Indeed, the composition of the magma, the types of volcanism, and the characteristics of intrusions are governed to…. Images above modified from “Parks and Plates: The Geology of our National Parks, Monuments and Seashores,” by Robert J. Lillie, New York, W. W. Norton and Company, 298 pp., 2005, www.amazon.com/dp/0134905172. An honor graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. There are three types of plate movements: converging, transforming and diverging. Divergent plates move away from each other, creating a rift in the brittle rock of the lithosphere. As the plates move past each other, they sometimes get caught and pressure builds up. Plates that push on each other as they slide in opposite directions form what are called transform boundaries. The magma filling fissures in diverging oceanic boundaries is magnetic and aligns with the magnetic pole as it hardens.