Tectonic plates they are blockssolids that meet about O magma and form the lithosphere, outermost rock layer of the Earth. The discovery of these plates, through the Plate Tectonics Theory, made it possible to state that the Earth is divided into these large semi-rigid blocks that move driven by the planet's internal forces.
Read too: What is the center of the Earth like?
Types of tectonic plates
Tectonic plates can be of three types:
oceanic plates: types found on the ocean floor.
continental plates: types found under continents.
Oceanic and continental plates: types found both under continents and on the ocean floor.
The tectonic plates are in constant movement in relation to each other. This movement occurs due to forces coming from the Earth's interior, especially at high temperatures. Those movements they are slow and continuous and take place in what we call the limits between the plates, which can be of removal, in collision or sides. The result are attransformations in the earth's crust, like the
formationinmountains, cesspoolsoceanic, volcanic activities and shakesseismic like earthquakes and tsunamis.Know more:What is the difference between a tsunami and a tsunami?
→ How do tectonic plates move?
The tectonic plates lie on the mantle, one of the Earth layers composed of magma. O heat from inside the planet provoke The movement of this magma through the chainsdeconvection. During this movement, the heat from the core is transferred to the outer layers, causing them to move, either against each other or separating.
Main tectonic plates
The Earth is divided into 14main tectonic plates and 38 minor ones, a total of 52 plates. The most acquaintances they are:
- South American Plate: This sign is located under south america and extends to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It moves towards the Nazca and Pacific plates. It borders the Antarctic Plate to the south, the Nazca Plate to the west, and the Caribbean Plate to the north.
- Nazca Plate: This plate is found on the ocean floor to the left of the South American Plate. It is limited to the north by the Cocos Plate and to the south by the Antarctic Plate. The clash between the Nazca Plate and the Sudamericana formed the mountain rangeFromAndes.
- Pacific Plate: This sign is located over the pacific ocean, limited to the north by the Juan de Fuca Plate and the North American Plate, whose clash had as a consequence the FailureinsanAndres.
- Australian Plate: This sign is found under the Australia and some portions of New Zealand and New Guinea. It also covers the ocean floor of the Pacific Ocean, bordering on the northwest by the Indian Plate.
- African plate: This sign is under the entire african continent, limiting itself to the South American Plate, Caribbean Plate, Eurasian Plate, Antarctic Plate and Australian Plate. It's under the Atlantic Ocean too, moving away slowly from the South American Plate.
→ Map of tectonic plates
Tectonic plates in Brazil
Brazil is located on the South American Plate.
Brazil is on the He scoresSouth American, as well as the entire South America subcontinent. This sign has more than 43 million km2 and about 200 kilometers wide. The localization centralofparents about the plate makes here nothere isso manyincidencesintremorsseismic.
But it is worth saying that it is not true that in Brazil there are no earthquakes. Cases of earthquakes have already been registered, but they are not of great magnitude. These jolts are usually recurrent from wear on the board.
readmore:Do earthquakes occur in Brazil?
What are the types of boundaries between tectonic plates?
The boundaries between the tectonic plates refer to the meeting places between these rocky blocks, corresponding, then, to the borders of the plates, where there is intense movement caused by the internal forces of the Earth.
The three types of limits are:
1. Convergent Limit: In this type of limit, the plates converge, i.e, clash against each other taunting approximation from them. The higher density plate sinks towards the Earth's mantle, merging due to the high temperatures caused by convective motion. The less dense plate moves in the opposite direction due to the pressure generated, resulting in folding of the earth's surface. Watch:
At the convergent boundary, there is shock movement between the tectonic plates.
2. Divergent limit: In this type of boundary, the plates diverge, that is, move away from each other resulting in cracks and cracks on the earth's surface. The plates then separate giving rise to the dorsalmid-ocean (mountain ranges submerged in the ocean). This movement occurs when the chainsconvective ascending causes the magma to travel through the cracks to the surface. Upon cooling, it ends up fusing to the edges of the plates, causing them to become larger. the dorsal mid-ocean cause expansion of the ocean floor, causing earthquakes and volcanic activity. Watch:
At the divergent boundary, there is movement of separation between the tectonic plates.
3. Transforming limit: In this type of plate limit, there is a sliding movement between blocks, one in relation to the others. This movement results in cracks in contact, with no destruction, no increase or creation of plaques. Flaws can be formed, such as the San Andreas Fault, in California, in the United States, as a result of the transforming movement between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. Watch:
At the transforming limit, there is lateral sliding movement between the tectonic plates.
