List of tectonic plate interactions

This article is subsidiary to plate tectonics

Tectonic plate interactions be of three different basic types:

• Divergent boundaries are areas where plates move away from each other, forming either mid-oceanic ridges or rift valleys[?].
• Convergent boundaries are areas where plates move toward each other and collide.
  • Subduction zones occur where an oceanic plate meets a continental plate and is pushed underneath it. Subduction zones are marked by oceanic trenches. The descending end of the oceanic plate melts and creates pressure in the mantle, causing volcanoes to form.
  • Orogenic belts occur where two continental plates collide and push upwards to form large mountain ranges.
• Transform boundaries occur when two plates grind past each other with only limited convergent or divergent activity.

Table of contents 1 Divergent Boundaries 2 Subduction Zones 3 Orogenic Belts 4 Transform Boundaries

Divergent Boundaries

• The Great Rift Valley in eastern Africa
• The Mid-Atlantic Ridge system separates the North American Plate[?] and South American Plate[?] in the west from the Eurasian Plate[?] and African Plate[?] in the east

Subduction Zones

• The oceanic Nazca Plate[?] is being subducted under the continental South American Plate[?] at a rate of 10cm per year.
• The Pacific Plate[?] is being subducted under the Eurasian[?] and Philippine[?] Plates.

Orogenic Belts

• The most dramatic orogenic belt on the planet is the one between the Indo-Australian Plate[?] and the Eurasian Plate[?]. The Himalayas are forming along this boundary.
• The Alps have formed due to the interaction of the African Plate[?] and the Eurasian Plate[?].

Transform Boundaries

• The San Andreas Fault in California is an active transform boundary. The Pacific Plate (carrying the city of Los Angeles) is moving northwards with regard to the North American Plate[?].

Someone who knows about stuff like this needs to fix this stub!