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1. Plate Movements

2. Based on the theory of plate tectonics the Earth’s outermost rigid layer is called lithosphere and broken into several segments called plates (Rabago,2010). It consists of crust and uppermost mantle. Most plates contain both oceanic and continental crust.

3. How do the plates move? The movement of plates is described by the three types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent and transform boundary.

4. Divergent When two plates are moving away from each other it is called as divergent boundary. Plates are forming divergent plate boundaries like in the formation of rift valleys and oceanic ridges wherein the crust is spreading or splitting. Most divergent boundaries are situated along underwater mountain ranges.

5. Convergent Convergent boundaries form when two plates move toward each other. Convergence can involve two oceanic plates, a continental and an oceanic plate or two continental plates. Oceanic trenches, islands arcs, and mountain belts form at convergent boundaries. Many of Earth’s most dangerous volcanoes and largest earthquakes also occur along these boundaries (Johnson & Reynolds,2016).

6. Transform A plate boundary where plates are sliding past each other is called transform boundary. Plates slip horizontally past each other along transform faults(Johnson&Reynolds,2016). Transform fault boundaries may cause earthquake activities triggered by movements along the fault system. In the oceans, transform faults are associated with mid-ocean ridges. Transform faults combine with spreading centers to form a zigzag pattern on ocean floor. California(Johnson&Reynolds,2016).

7. The African Plate: Also known as the Nubian Plate, the African plate is the fourth largest tectonic plate, covering 23,700,000 square miles of the Earth. The African plate is made up of both continental and oceanic lithosphere and encompasses the majority of the continent of  Africa  and about a third of the  Atlantic Ocean . Its boundaries are both divergent and convergent, with the entire plate moving at an average rate of 2.5 centimeters per year.  The Antarctic Plate: The Antarctic Plate is the fifth largest tectonic plate. It is comprised of the entire continent of  Antarctica  as well as the surrounding oceans and so is made up of both continental and oceanic lithosphere. This plate covers 23,500,000 square miles of the Earth's surface. The boundaries of this plate are 95% divergent and 5% convergent, with the entire plate moving at an average rate of 1.0 centimeters per year.

8. The Eurasian Plate: The Eurasian Plate is comprised of most of  Europe ,  Russia , and  China , as well as part of the  Atlantic  and  Arctic Oceans . It is the third largest tectonic plate, spanning 26,200,000 square miles across the Earth. The Eurasian Plate has convergent, divergent, and transform fault boundaries and moves at a varying rate, anywhere from 0.7 centimeters per year to 1.4 centimeters per year. The Indo-Australian Plate: The Indo-Australian Plate is comprised of parts of  Australia  and  India  as well as most of the  Indian Ocean . It is the sixth largest tectonic plate, spanning 22,700,000 square miles across the Earth. The Indo-Australian Plate is comprised of two plates: the Australian Plate and the Indian Plate. More often than not, these two plates are considered one, as historically, it was assumed that they were, in fact, one single plate. This plate moves at a rate of 3.0 centimeters per year.

9. The North American Plate: The North American Plate, made up of both continental and oceanic crust, spans 29,000,000 square miles of the Earth. This makes it the second largest tectonic plate, only smaller than the  Pacific  plate. The North American plate extends over part of  North America , the  North Pole , northern  Japan ,  Greenland ,  Cuba , and the  Bahamas  and moves at a rate of 2.3 centimeters per year. The South American plate: The South American plate is comprised of  South America  as well as a large portion of the  Atlantic Ocean . It is the seventh-largest tectonic plate and spans 16,800,000 square miles. At this size, the South American plate is the smallest of the seven major plates. This plate has convergent tectonic boundaries and, in recent years, has caused some catastrophic earthquakes. The South American plate moves from 2.7 to 3.4 centimeters per year.

10. The Pacific Plate: The Pacific Plate covers 40,000,000 square miles, making it the largest tectonic plate. This plate is comprised of the western portion of  North America  and  Alaska  and stretches across the  Pacific Ocean  to encompass the east coast of  Japan  and  Indonesia . The Pacific Plate moves at a rate of 5.0 to 10.0 centimeters per year. The Pacific plate's boundaries primarily comprise the  Pacific Ring of Fire , also known as the Circum-Pacific Belt and the Girdle of Fire. The Ring of Fire is the circular region defined by the boundaries of the Pacific plate, which has most of the active volcanos across the Earth as well as most of the earthquakes. The majority of the Ring of Fire is under the Pacific Ocean and is comprised of over 450 volcanoes.