Final ? 6

In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. These areas can form in the middle of continents but eventually form ocean basins. Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts which produce rift valleys. If the rifting process stops, a failed rift results. Therefore, most active divergent plate boundaries exist between oceanic plates and are often called oceanic rifts.


A convergent boundary also known as a convergent plate boundary or a destructive plate boundary is an actively deforming region where two or more tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere move toward one another and collide. When two plates move toward one another, they form either a subduction zone or a continental collision. This depends on the nature of the plates involved. In a subduction zone, the subducting plate, which is normally a plate with oceanic crust, moves beneath the other plate, which can be made of either oceanic or continental crust. During collisions between two continental plates, large mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas are formed.
Becuase of the plate tectonics there is many different things that happen on the earth. When the plates shift it moves the whole earth making earthquakes volcanos vallys and many other things.
A shield volcano is a large volcano with shallow sloping sides. Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows of low viscosity, lava that flows easily. Consequently, a volcanic mountain having a broad profile is built up over time by a flow after flow of relatively fluid basaltic lava issuing from vents or fissures on the surface of the volcano. Many of the largest volcanoes on Earth are shield volcanoes. The largest in terms of area covered is Mauna Loa of Hawaii; the tallest measured from its base under the ocean, however, is Mauna Kea of Hawaii. All the volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands are shield volcanoes. Shield volcanoes can be so large that they are sometimes considered to be a mountain range. These shield volcanoes formed when the North American Plate moved over a hotspot similar to the one feeding the Hawaiian Islands, called the Anahim hotspot. Shield volcanoes can be found in many places around the world, including Australia, Ethiopia, and the Galapagos Islands.

A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep conical hill of volcanic fragments that accumulate around and downwind from a volcanic vent. The rock fragments, often called cinders or scoria, are glassy and contain numerous gas bubbles "frozen" into place as magma exploded into the air and then cooled quickly. Cinder cones range in size from tens to hundreds of meters tall. Cinder cones are made of pyroclastic material.
Many cinder cones have a bowl-shaped crater at the summit. Lava flows are usually erupted by cinder cones, either through a breach on one side of the crater or from a vent located on a flank. If the crater is fully breached, the remaining walls form an amphitheatre or horseshoe shape around the vent. Lava rarely issues from the top because the loose, uncemented cinders are too weak to support the pressure exerted by molten rock as it rises toward the surface through the central vent.
These are all thing that help shape the earths surfes and is the only thing that can change how the earth is formed. We have learned that there isnt any way to stop the tectonoc plates from moving so we will have to deal with it. By understanding valconos people will know when to evacuate and this will help to save a lot of lives.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

http://bsgf.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/