Mountain Building and Plate Boundaries

1. Mountain Building and Plate Boundaries Definitions-you can find these in your text Active continental margin- Passive continental margin- Converging boundary- Diverging boundary-

2. Data Tables:

4. Conclusion Questions:(Are yours done in complete sentences?) • The Andes Mountains are younger than the Appalachian Mountains. What evidence is there on the physical world map that supports this statement? The Andes are on an active continental margin and are still forming. The Appalachians were formed long ago when the eastern coast of North America was an active continental margin, now it is passive. The Appalachians are smaller because of weathering and erosion over millions of years.

5. 2. Would you expect to find extensive mountain building taking place in Australia? Explain. No, Australia is in the center of a plate and is surrounded by passive continental margins.

6. 3. Which mountain range is more likely to have active volcanoes, the Andes or the Rockies? Explain. The Andes are more likely to have active volcanoes. They are presently on an active continental margin and volcanoes are often associated with such margins. The Rockies are not near a plate margin.

7. 4. Active continental margins are also called seismic continental margins while passive continental margins are called aseismic continental margins. To what occurrence does the term seismic usually refer? What must aseismic mean? Explain why these are appropriate terms to apply to their respective plate boundaries. Seismic-the boundary is associated with earthquake activity Aseismic-a boundary that lacks earthquake activity It is appropriate to name an active continental margin a seismic continental margin because then can result in earthquakes. It is appropriate to name a passive continental margin an aseismic continental margin because they would not be expected to have earthquakes.