What Are Tectonic Plates?

By jamie

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6. Divergent Boundaries

Divergent boundaries are quite the opposite of convergent boundaries in that they move away from each other rather than toward each other. As the two plates move away from each other, hot magma is pushed up from below where it cools and forms new land. Divergent boundaries that are located under continental plates will pull the land apart causing a rift, and will often allow rivers to form.

Eventually, a new sea will be formed when the rift drops below sea level. The East Africa Rift Valley is one example of this happening. The mid-Atlantic ridge is an example of divergent boundaries involving oceanic plates.

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