Definition. A transform fault is a plate boundary along which plate motion is parallel with the strike of the boundary. Along such a boundary, ideally, crust is neither generated nor destroyed, and that is why they are also called conservative plate boundaries.

Transform boundaries are places where plates slide sideways past each other. At transform boundaries lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed. Many transform boundaries are found on the sea floor, where they connect segments of diverging mid-ocean ridges. California’s San Andreas fault is a transform boundary.

A transform plate boundary is characterized by __________. a deep, vertical fault along which two plates slide past one another in opposite directions. What is the typical rate of seafloor spreading in the Atlantic Ocean?

San Andreas Fault Zone

Examples

• Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
• Red Sea Rift.
• Baikal Rift Zone.
• East African Rift.
• East Pacific Rise.
• Gakkel Ridge.
• Galapagos Rise.
• Explorer Ridge.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a classic example of this type of plate boundary. The Ridge is a high area compared to the surrounding seafloor because of the lift from the convection current below.

There are two types of divergent boundaries, categorized by where they occur: continental rift zones and mid-ocean ridges.

Most divergent plate boundaries are underwater and form submarine mountain ranges called oceanic spreading ridges. While the process of forming these mountain ranges is volcanic, volcanoes and earthquakes along oceanic spreading ridges are not as violent as they are at convergent plate boundaries.

A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust.

conservative plate boundaries

Transform boundaries represent the borders found in the fractured pieces of the Earth’s crust where one tectonic plate slides past another to create an earthquake fault zone. Linear valleys, small ponds, stream beds split in half, deep trenches, and scarps and ridges often mark the location of a transform boundary.

The grinding action between the plates at a transform plate boundary results in shallow earthquakes, large lateral displacement of rock, and a broad zone of crustal deformation. Perhaps nowhere on Earth is such a landscape more dramatically displayed than along the San Andreas Fault in western California.

Transform boundaries are areas where the Earth’s plates move past each other, rubbing along the edges. As the plates slide across from each other, they neither create land nor destroy it. Because of this, they are sometimes referred to as conservative boundaries or margins.

Volcanoes do not typically occur at transform boundaries. One of the reasons for this is that there is little or no magma available at the plate boundary.

Volcanoes are not found at transform boundaries because they do not cause changes to the pressure, temperature, or composition of the mantle. The East African rift is a divergent plate boundary that is splitting the continent of Africa into two pieces.

Most earthquakes happen at or near the boundaries between Earth’s tectonic plates because that’s where there is usually a large concentration of faults. Some faults crack through the Earth because of the stress and strain of the moving plates. Movement along those faults can cause earthquakes too.

Shallow, low-magnitude earthquakes commonly occur at divergent plate boundaries. This causes the crust to crack and form faults where earthquakes occur. Most earthquakes at divergent plate boundaries occur at mid-ocean ridges where two pieces of oceanic crust are moving away from each other.

Perhaps the best known of the divergent boundaries is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This submerged mountain range, which extends from the Arctic Ocean to beyond the southern tip of Africa, is but one segment of the global mid-ocean ridge system that encircles the Earth.

Most divergent boundaries are located along mid-ocean oceanic ridges (although some are on land). The mid-ocean ridge system is a giant undersea mountain range, and is the largest geological feature on Earth; at 65,000 km long and about 1000 km wide, it covers 23% of Earth’s surface (Figure 4.5. 1).

At convergent plate boundaries, where two continental plates collide earthquakes are deep and also very powerful. In general, the deepest and the most powerful earthquakes occur at plate collision (or subduction) zones at convergent plate boundaries.

Tectonic Plates and Plate Boundaries

• Convergent boundaries: where two plates are colliding. Subduction zones occur when one or both of the tectonic plates are composed of oceanic crust.
• Divergent boundaries – where two plates are moving apart.
• Transform boundaries – where plates slide passed each other.

What are the major plate tectonic boundaries?

• Divergent: extensional; the plates move apart. Spreading ridges, basin-range.
• Convergent: compressional; plates move toward each other. Includes: Subduction zones and mountain building.
• Transform: shearing; plates slide past each other. Strike-slip motion.

Plate Boundaries and Hotspot Demonstration

• Divergent Plate Boundary. Volcanic eruptions and shallow earthquakes are common where plates rip apart.
• Convergent Plate Boundary.
• Transform Plate Boundary.
• Hotspot.

A physical boundary is a natural barrier between two areas. Rivers, mountain ranges, oceans, and deserts are examples. Many times, political boundaries between countries or states form along physical boundaries. For example, the boundary between France and Spain follows the peaks of the Pyrenees mountains.

The Earth’s crust is split into sections called tectonic plates. Transform boundaries are where two of these plates are sliding alongside each other. This causes intense earthquakes, the formation of thin linear valleys, and split river beds.

This image shows the three main types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform.

Many times, political boundaries between countries or states form along physical boundaries. For example, the boundary between France and Spain follows the peaks of the Pyrenees Mountains, while the Alps separate France from Italy.

There are times when small tectonic plates are interviening with two larger plates as they converge, diverge or transfrom with each other. When this happens, the area is considered a Plate Boundary Zone. This means that the interaction of the multiple plates is often too dificult to predict.

divergent plate boundaries