Which plate boundary is defined as two plates moving away from each other?

Which plate boundary is defined as two plates moving away from each other?

• A. Conservative Boundary
• B. Transform Boundary
• C. Divergent Boundary
• D. Convergent Boundary

Answer: (C)

Two plates moving apart is a divergent boundary. When the plates pull away from each other, mantle rock rises to fill the gap and cools to form new crust. This process creates features like mid-ocean ridges where new sea floor is formed, and on land it can produce rift valleys. So the key idea is that divergence means separation and new crust is created as the gap opens. In contrast, transform boundaries involve sliding past one another without creating or destroying crust, convergent boundaries bring plates together and can push up mountains or cause subduction, and the term used for sliding past with little crust change points to a conservative/transform boundary, not separation.

Two plates moving apart is a divergent boundary. When the plates pull away from each other, mantle rock rises to fill the gap and cools to form new crust. This process creates features like mid-ocean ridges where new sea floor is formed, and on land it can produce rift valleys. So the key idea is that divergence means separation and new crust is created as the gap opens.

In contrast, transform boundaries involve sliding past one another without creating or destroying crust, convergent boundaries bring plates together and can push up mountains or cause subduction, and the term used for sliding past with little crust change points to a conservative/transform boundary, not separation.