Mon Prof Augmenté
Edges of Moving Slabs
Open to everyone until Friday, October 2
To keep it, print it while it is open.
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.
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.
Carry on in the app
Three questions on this lesson, to check the idea stuck. Free in the app while the lesson is in the free week.
At least one new illustrated lesson every weekday for your child’s year, with its quiz and a reminder at 6:15 pm.
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