Let's draw lines on the mid-ocean ridges and trenches; these form the boundaries of tectonic plates.The continents ride on top of the plates.
Plate Tectonics: Piecing It All Together
Let's draw lines on the mid-ocean ridges and trenches; these form the boundaries
of tectonic plates.The continents ride on top of the plates.
This is a cross-section of the Earth; plates spread apart
at mid-ocean ridges, and go back into the Earth at trenches.
Here's a closer view:
Plates are spreading apart at mid-ocean ridges:
Plates are coming together at trenches:
Plates are moving past one another at places like California's San Andreas fault:
Plate motion is slow by human standards; just a few inches per year.