What are Some Different Types of Tectonic Plate Boundaries?

The main basis of the plate boundary division is the structure, activity of the plate edges and the integrity of the plate interior. There are three types of plate boundaries: discrete, convergent, and conserved plate boundaries.

Plate boundaries refer to the joints between different plates. They are continuously active volcanic and seismic zones. They are the most active types of plate edges in the world. It can be divided into three types: the discrete boundary represented by the mid-ocean ridge, the convergence boundary represented by the subduction zone, and the conserved boundary represented by the transition fault. It is generally considered that the suture zone represents the convergence and collision boundary of ancient plates. ^[1]

Also called growth boundary, the boundary between two separated plates. It is found in the mid-ocean ridges or oceanic uplifts and is characterized by shallow earthquakes, volcanic activity, high heat flux, and extension. The mid-ocean ridge axis is the center of the seafloor expansion. Due to the convection of the mantle, mantle material surges here, and the plates on both sides are separated. The upwelling material condenses to form a new ocean floor lithosphere, which is added to the trailing edges of the plates on both sides.

Also known as the demise boundary, the boundary between two plates that converge and perish. Equivalent to trench or ground suture. It can be divided into two sub-categories: the oceanic plate subducted and submerged under another plate at the trench, called the subduction boundary. The modern subduction boundary is mainly distributed around the Pacific rim; the oceanic plate subducted, and the continents on both sides met and began to collide. Called the collision boundary, the Alpine-Himalayan zone on the southern edge of the Eurasian plate is an example of a typical plate collision zone.

Boundary between two plates that shear and slide with each other. Equivalent to conversion fault. Earthquakes, magmatic activities, metamorphism, and tectonic activities mainly occur at plate boundaries. The study of plate boundary is one of the important contents of plate tectonics. The plate boundary is an unstable zone. Almost all earthquakes are distributed on the plate boundary, and volcanoes are especially near the boundary. Others such as tension cracks, magma rise, heat flow increase, large-scale horizontal displacement, etc. also occur on the boundary line. On the other hand, crustal subduction is one of the important signs for the division of collision boundary. It can be seen that the plate boundary is the extremely unstable zone of the crustal. The transition boundary is located at the place where adjacent plates are shifted with each other, and it develops along the transition fault. There is no material loss of proliferation. The seismic effects of transitional boundaries are shown in the figure, which separate the ocean ridges. The ages of the geological bodies appearing on both sides of the fault are slightly different. It is worth noting that the crust is thinning near the fault zone. Transition faults connect the convergence plate and discrete plate boundaries in different forms. At the segmented ocean ridges, transition faults connect the two discrete plate boundaries, and transition faults can also connect ridges to trenches or trenches to trenches. But no matter how the transition fault is connected to other plate boundaries, the transition boundary is parallel to the direction of the plate's relative movement.