Tectonic Plate Boundaries Most of the Earth's volcanoes are located at tectonic plate boundaries. These volcanoes are found on both continental and oceanic crust.Volcanoes at Divergent BoundariesMid-ocean ridges form from lava pouring onto the ocean floor at divergent plate boundaries. mid-ocean ridgemagmaocean oorold crustold crustnew crustnew crusterupting magma(lava)rift valleyDivergentboundaryvolcanochainOn land, divergent boundaries produce chains of active volcanoes. Volcanoes at Convergent BoundariesAt convergent boundaries, oceanic plates are subducted and magma forms from melting crust. Eruptions create volcanic island arcs in the ocean and volcanic mountain ranges on land.trenchvolcanocontinentalplateoceanic platemantlemagmaSubduction zoneConvergent boundaryHot Spot VolcanoesSome volcanoes form over hot spots that are not located along plate boundaries. A hot spot occurs when rising magma is close to the Earth's surface. The islands of Hawaii were formed over a hot spot in the Pacific Ocean.EurasianPlateNorth American PlateEurasian PlateArabian PlateAfrican PlateSouth American PlatePacific PlateIndian PlateAustralian PlateAntarctic PlateNazcaPlateCocosPlatePacificOceanvolcanic islandsvolcanic arc on landVolcanoes & Plate Boundaries© Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4533Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources.Photos courtesy of USGS & NASA.EurasianPlateNorth American PlateEurasian PlateArabian PlateAfrican PlateSouth American PlatePacific PlateIndian PlateAustralian PlateAntarctic PlateNazcaPlateCocosPlatePacificOceanplate boundary
< Page 4 | Page 6 >