Plate Margin Destructive Constructive Collision Conservative

Type of crust Oceanic and

continental

Continental Continental Continental

Direction of plate

movement

Oceanic crust

moves towards

continental crust

but being heavier

sinks and is

destroyed,

forming deep sea

trenches and

island arcs with

volcanoes.

Two plates move

away from each

other. New

oceanic crust

appears, forming

mid-ocean ridges

with volcanoes.

Two continental

crusts collide

and as neither

can sink, are

forced up into

fold mountains.

Two plates move

sideways past each

other – land is

neither formed nor

destroyed.

Example of location Nazca and South

American plate,

Juan de Fuca and

the North

American plate

Mid-Atlantic

Ridge, e.g.

Iceland

Indo-Australian

and Eurasian

Plates, e.g.

Himalayas

Pacific and North

American Plate, e.g.

San Andreas,

California

EARTHQUAKE Violent * * *

Less

violent

*

Rare

VOLCANO Violent * None None

Less

violent

*

Rare