Thursday, August 15, 2019

What is an example of a divergent boundary?

In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary is a place where plates are moving away from each other. Such places are located in the ocean where convection currents, which are heated, rise up and press against the bottom of the lithosphere. At this point, the plate bulges up as the current flows underneath it. This bulge, or ridge, now has pressure being exerted on each side of it as the current from below continually flows in opposite directions (pressing up into the bulge and then down each side). This causes the area at the top of the bulge to stretch increasingly thin. Eventually it gets so thin that it breaks and tears apart.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of a divergent boundary. The ridge is much higher than the seafloor due to a convection current flowing underneath it. Because of the constant movement due to pressure at this boundary, it is estimated that the Atlantic Basin is widening at about 1 cm to 10 cm every year.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Mid-Atlantic-Ridge

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