How does continental rifting relate to divergent plate boundaries?
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How does continental rifting relate to divergent plate boundaries?
Plate Divergence on Land When plate divergence occurs on land, the continental crust rifts, or splits. This effectively creates a new ocean basin as the pieces of the continent move apart. In continental rifting, magma rises beneath the continent, causing it to become thinner, break, and ultimately split apart.
Is continental rifting a divergent boundary?
Divergent plate boundaries can occur within continental lithosphere, where they are know as continental rifts, the centers along which continents break apart, sometimes to spawn new ocean basins.
Is continental rifting convergent or divergent?
Divergent Plate Boundary
Divergent Plate Boundary—Continental Rift.
What is an example of a continental plate divergent boundary?
The mid-Atlantic ridge is an example of a divergent boundary, where the Eurasian Plate that covers all of Europe separates from the North American Plate. This underwater mountain range is constantly growing as new crust is formed. Further up that same boundary, it passes through Iceland.
How does a divergent plate boundary create a rift valley?
Divergent Boundaries As the plates separate along the boundary, the block between the faults cracks and drops down into the soft, plastic interior (the asthenosphere). The sinking of the block forms a central valley called a rift.
What is meant by continental rifting?
A continental rift is conventionally described as a thinning process of the lithosphere ultimately leading to the rupture of the continent and the formation of a mid-oceanic ridge. Rifting is the initial and fundamental process by which the separation of two continents into two tectonic plates takes place.
What are the stages of continental rifting?
I distinguish and consider five major stages of rifting. They are: Katarchean-Archean, early Proterozoic, Late Proterozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic-Cenozoic.
Where is a continental continental divergent boundary?
At divergent boundaries, sometimes called constructive boundaries, lithospheric plates move away from each other. There are two types of divergent boundaries, categorized by where they occur: continental rift zones and mid-ocean ridges. Continental rift zones occur in weak spots in the continental lithospheric plate.
Whats a continental rift?
A continental rift (Gregory, 1894; Quennell, 1982, 1985) is a fault-bounded elongate trough under or near which the entire thickness of the lithosphere (see Lithosphere, Continental ; Lithosphere, Mechanical Properties ) has been reduced in extension during its formation.
What feature is found on continents at a divergent boundary?
Rift Valleys When divergent boundaries occur in continental plates, a different geological feature, called a rift valley, is formed. These depressions slowly fill with water, forming lakes, as their level drops. Ultimately, they will form the floor of a new ocean.
Where is continental rifting currently taking place?
Continental rifting is taking place along the East Africa Rift and sea floor has recently been created in the Red Sea and also in the Gulf of California.
How do continental rift valleys form?
When tectonic plates interact with one another, they create plate boundaries. In particular, rift valleys are formed when continental plates move away from each other; moreover, the two continental plates diverge.
What is continental rift zone?
Continental rift zones occur in weak spots in the continental lithospheric plate. A mid-ocean ridge usually originates in a continental plate as a rift zone that expands to the point of splitting the plate apart, with seawater filling in the gap.
Which of the following are characteristics of continental rifting?
The following are characteristics of continental rifting: Rifting begins with a broad uplift as magma ascends. Stretching of the crust causes crustal blocks to drop down. If rifting continues, the continent can be split into two pieces.
What is an example of continental rifting?
The most prominent example of a continental rift is the East-African Rift Valley and its continuations into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. If the rifting between East Africa and the rest of the continent continues, a new ocean will eventually be formed here.
What is continental continental divergence?
Continental-continental divergence causes a continent to separate into two or more smaller continents when it is ripped apart along a series of fractures.
What is associated with continental rifting?
What geologic features events that may occur at divergent boundaries?
A divergent plate boundary often forms a mountain chain known as a ridge. This feature forms as magma escapes into the space between the spreading tectonic plates.
What is an example of a continental rift?
The East African Rift, the Baikal Rift Valley, the West Antarctic Rift, and the Rio Grande Rift are Earth’s major active continental rift valleys.
