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Iceland plate boundary1/30/2024 The East African Rift is an example of a single tectonic plate being ripped in two. Of course, divergent plate boundaries also exist on land. These eruptions were preceded by significant rifting and cracking on the ground surface, which are also emblematic of diverging plate movement. The diverging Eurasian and North American plates caused the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull (in 2010) and Bardarbunga (in 2014). The island of Iceland is a part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Some ocean ridges reach the ocean surface and create landforms. Most submarine volcanoes are found on ridges thousands of meters below the ocean surface. This submarine volcanic activity accounts for roughly 75% of the average annual volume of magma that reaches the Earth’s crust. Vents and fractures (also called fissures) in these mid-ocean ridges allow magma and gases to escape into the ocean. Another divergent plate boundary is the East Pacific Rise, which separates the massive Pacific plate from the Nazca, Cocos, and North American plates. These ridges are interconnected, forming a continuous volcanic mountain range nearly 60,000 kilometers (37,000 miles)-the longest in the world. The upward movement and e ventual cooling of this buoyant magma creates high ridges on the ocean floor. Along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, hot magma swells upward and becomes part of the North American and Eurasian plates. Here, the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are moving in opposite directions. The Atlantic Ocean is home to a divergent plate boundary, a place called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. They never really separate because magma continuously moves up from the mantle into this boundary, building new plate material on both sides of the plate boundary. Divergent Plate Boundaries At a divergent boundary, tectonic plates move apart from one another. The two types of plate boundaries that are most likely to produce volcanic activity are divergent plate boundaries and convergent plate boundaries. Volcanoes are most common in these geologically active boundaries. Sometimes, the plates collide with one another or move apart. They move only a few centimeters per year. These plates are not fixed, but are constantly moving at a very slow rate. These plates are huge slabs of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle, which fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Plate Tectonics Most volcanoes form at the boundaries of Earth’s tectonic plates. Volcanologists closely monitor volcanoes so they can better predict impending eruptions and prepare nearby populations for potential volcanic hazards that could endanger their safety. About 350 million people (or about one out of every 20 people in the world) live within the “danger range” of an active volcano. Eruptions can create new landforms, but can also destroy everything in their path. Volcanoes are incredibly powerful agents of change. Many others are dormant volcanoes, showing no current signs of exploding but likely to become active at some point in the future. About 1,900 volcanoes on Earth are considered active, meaning they show some level of occasional activity and are likely to erupt again. They are found throughout the world, forming ridges deep below the sea surface and mountains that are thousands of meters high. Volcanoes come in many different shapes and sizes but are most commonly cone-shaped hills or mountains. Along with lava, volcanoes also release gases, ash, and solid rock. This molten rock is called magma when it is beneath the surface and lava when it erupts, or flows out, from a volcano. A volcano is a feature in Earth’s crust where molten rock is squeezed out onto the Earth’s surface.
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