Activity 2 - Plate Boundaries and Interactions

Use the resources listed below to help you complete this activity.

State-Based Resources
General Resources

State-Based Resources: Investigate Part D: The Plate-Tectonic Setting of Your Community

Describe the plate-tectonic setting of Maine. Refer to your world map and the map This Dynamic Planet.

• GPS Time Series from NASA

There are currently no resources listed for this state.

Inquiring Further

Recently, new forms of life have been discovered at mid-ocean ridges. They thrive in the presence of superheated, mineral-rich water. This life does not depend upon the Sun for energy, but instead upon the energy and matter from Earth's interior. How has life evolved in such environments?

Follow your curiosity of black smokers by visiting this site. It includes images and information about lifeforms at the hydrothermal deep sea vents.

This site contains several photos of the strange creatures which inhabit the far reaches of the ocean floor.

Good information about life at sea vents. (See Expedition 2).

Information about black smokers and activity along mid-ocean ridges.

The REVEL Project

General information related to this activity:

Cascades Eruptions During the Past 4000 Years, by USGS
Figure showing the eruptions of Cascade volcanoes during the last 4000 years.

Cascades Volcano Observatory, by USGS
This web site focuses on hazards, activity, history, and monitoring of volcanoes.

Types of Plate Boundaries

"Understanding Plate Motions" - from This Dynamic Planet, USGS
This site reviews the types of plate boundaries and the basics of plate motions.

"Main types of plate boundaries" from This Dynamic Earth, USGS
Artist's cross section illustrating the main types of plate boundaries.

How Plates Move - Volcano World
Brief overview of the three types of plate motions. Includes good schematic drawings of each type.

"The Action is at the Edges!" - USGS

Divergent Plate Boundaries

Understanding Plate Motion - USGS
Explains the driving force behind plate tectonics. Click to view an animation of sea-floor spreading.

Convergent Plate Boundaries

"Convergent Plate Boundaries" - USGS
Explains why plates are subducted at convergent plate boundaries and what happens to them once they are subducted.

"Cascade Range Volcanoes and Volcanics" -
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
An example of an oceanic-continental plate boundary is the Cascade Range in the Western United States. Volcanoes are formed along the US coast as the oceanic Juan de Fuce plate plunges below the continental North American plate. This web site provides an in-depth review of the geologic history of the Cascade volcanoes.

Kick 'Em Jenny, West Indies
The collision of two oceanic plates can create areas of intense volcanic activity. Learn more about volcanoes formed in this manner.

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Last updated: May 11, 2010

This project is supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation and the AGI Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.