The lithosphere is not one solid rock, but a number of sections or segments called plates, which move and interact with each other. There are around twenty major plates of various sizes. The most active parts are located at the edges of the plates. At Divergent boundaries where plates pull away from each other new oceanic rock is formed. At Convergent boundaries where plates are driven together, rock is consumed. At Transform boundaries plates slide past each other, neither producing nor destroying rock.
For a pictorial view, click below and see slides 1 through 20
For more details, click below:
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