gen-define-plate-boundaries-and-landforms-and-give-one-short-wor-9711

Define plate boundaries and landforms and give one short worked example.

# Plate Boundaries and Landforms ## Definitions **Plate Boundaries**: Locations where two or more tectonic plates meet and interact. There are three main types: - **Divergent**: Plates move apart - **Convergent**: Plates move toward each other - **Transform**: Plates slide past each other horizontally **Landforms**: Natural physical features of Earth's surface created by tectonic processes, erosion, or deposition. --- ## Worked Example: The Himalayas **Boundary Type**: Convergent (continental-continental collision) **Plates Involved**: Indo-Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate **Process**: - ~50 million years ago, the Indo-Australian Plate began colliding with the Eurasian Plate - Both plates carry continental crust (low density, buoyant) - Neither plate subducts; instead, crust crumples and thickens **Resulting Landform**: - **The Himalayan Mountain Range** - including Mount Everest (8,849 m) - Formed by crustal uplift and folding - Still rising ~5 mm per year due to continued collision **Evidence**: Fossils of marine organisms found at high elevations prove this land was once ocean floor before uplift.