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conservative plate boundaries - Coggle Diagram
conservative plate boundaries
Conservative / Transform Plate Boundary
Two tectonic plates move past each other
Plates move horizontally
No crust is created
No crust is destroyed
Also called a transform boundary
Main hazard = earthquakes
PLATE MOVEMENT
Plates can move in opposite directions
Movement is usually caused by forces within the tectonic plates
Plates can become locked because of friction
Stress builds up
Eventually plates suddenly move
Energy is released as seismic waves
EARTHQUAKES
Main hazard at conservative boundaries
No magma is usually produced
Earthquakes can be shallow
Can be very destructive because of sudden movement
Damage depends on:
Magnitude
Depth
Distance from epicentre
Population density
Building quality
SAN ANDREAS FAULT
Example:
California, USA
Boundary between:
Pacific Plate
North American Plate
Movement:
Plates move horizontally past each other
Pacific Plate moves north-west
North American Plate moves south-east relative to the Pacific Plate
Hazards:
Frequent earthquakes
Surface rupture
Building damage
Infrastructure damage
🪨 FAULTS
A fault is a fracture in Earth's crust where movement occurs
Conservative boundaries commonly form strike-slip faults
Plates move sideways past one another
Friction can lock the fault
Stress builds until the fault slips
VOLCANISM
Generally no volcanoes
No significant crust is created or destroyed
There is no major subduction
Therefore, there is no typical melting process like at destructive boundaries
LANDFORMS
Fault lines
Linear valleys
Offset streams
Fault scarps
Fractured/altered landscapes
OTHER EXAMPLES
San Andreas Fault
California
Pacific Plate + North American Plate
Alpine Fault
New Zealand
Pacific Plate + Australian Plate
Mainly conservative movement
Mid-ocean ridge transform faults
Found along mid-ocean ridges
Offset sections of divergent boundaries
Earthquakes occur along the transform sections
KEY FEATURES
Plates move sideways
No crust created
No crust destroyed
Friction
Stress builds
Sudden release of energy
Shallow earthquakes
Fault lines
Little/no volcanic activity