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A map of the tectonic plates of the earth showing the different boundary types in different colors. Locations where plates collide (convergent boundaries) are shown in red. Locations where plates are spreading (divergent boundaries) are shown in yellow.
Map showing Earth's principal tectonic plates and their boundaries in detail. These plates comprise the bulk of the continents and the Pacific Ocean. For purposes of this list, a major plate is any plate with an area greater than 20 million km 2 (7.7 million sq mi)
Tectonic plates are composed of the oceanic lithosphere and the thicker continental lithosphere, each topped by its own kind of crust. Along convergent plate boundaries, the process of subduction carries the edge of one plate down under the other plate and into the mantle.
These images show the locations of the plates and their boundaries in the Earth's crust. Convergent boundaries are areas where two plates are pushing against each other and one plate may be subducting under another.
This map shows the major tectonic plates that make up Earth’s lithosphere. Tectonic plates are massive slabs of solid rock that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them and move relative to one another.
Use the map below to see where the three different types of plate boundaries are found throughout the world. First, find the KEY in the green box located at the bottom of the map. Then, select each boundary name in the KEY to see its location.
Instructions: Set one of the two positions (A or B) to adjust. These points are the beginning and end position for the animation. Each land mass can be adjusted by modifying their x, y, and z axis rotation (this can be tedious). You may drag the earth to see different views.
To view the GPS velocities of a specific plate, click within the boundaries of a specific plate. The three largest plates have been split into multiple sections. North America has been sectioned off into four sections, the northernmost regions, Canada, Greenland and Iceland, the United States, and Central America.
Plate tectonics is a theory about how Earth's lithosphere is divided into a series of rigid plates; and, how movements of these plates produce earthquakes, volcanoes, ocean trenches, mountain ranges, and more.
Earth’s lithosphere is made up of a series of plates that “float” on the mantle. Explore them with MapMaker, National Geographic's classroom interactive mapping tool.