Mon Prof Augmenté
Edges of Moving Slabs
Age 12 · Geography
Earth’s outer shell is broken into huge moving slabs. Where these slabs meet, they can pull apart, push together, scrape sideways, or dive beneath one another.
This picture is part of the full library
Every lesson is open to everyone for 7 days after it is published. This one came out on September 25, 2026: its text stays readable here, and its picture opens with a subscription.
The app is free. A subscription opens every lesson, in every school year.
In the picture
- The gap at a pulling-apart edge: two slabs move away from each other.
- The folded mountain at a pushing-together edge: two slabs crumple upward.
- The descending slab at a diving edge: one slab bends and slides beneath another.
- The volcanic vent above the diving slab: molten rock rises toward the surface.
- The zigzag crack at a sliding edge: two slabs scrape past each other sideways.
Examples
- The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the seafloor slowly pulls apart.
- The Himalaya, where two landmasses push together and build high peaks.
Key takeaways
- Slabs move a few centimetres each year, about as fast as fingernails grow.
- Mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes are common where slabs meet.
Quiz: Edges of Moving Slabs (Age 12)
-
What happens when two slabs at a plate edge pull apart?
-
What happens at a diving edge?
-
What does the card say about how fast slabs move?
The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.
Free app, optional subscription
App Store Google Play
Carry on in the app
At least one new illustrated lesson every weekday for your child’s year, with its quiz and a reminder at 6:15 pm.
Your child’s teacher does not use My Enhanced Teacher yet?
Tell them about it
