Effects of Plate Tectonics
Hot Spot: place where magma reaches the surface within a crustal plate
Magma Chamber: Underground pocket of molten rock
- Earthquakes occur when two crustal plates slide past each other
- Some mountains are formed when two crustal plates collide with each other
o The Himalayas, Mountains in Western North and South America, and the Appalachian Mountains formed in this way.
- Islands are formed when a plate moves over a hot spot
- Islands furthest to the west are the oldest, furthest to the east are the youngest
o The Hawaiian Islands where formed this way
- Volcanoes form near subduction zones. The rock melts into magma and pools underground in magma chambers.
- This magma works its way to the surface from time to time and a volcano forms
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