Lab 3: Discovering Plate Boundaries Continuing Discussion

We have all found that volcanoes are found at all the plate boundaries presented to us. However, there is not an even distribution of them along every boundary. We observed some volcanoes distributed in a linear fashion, others in clusters, and areas that are very sparse in terms of volcanoes with large distances between them.
When looking at the distribution of earthquakes we all found that the pattern seems to outline the plate boundaries. Most earthquakes occur near the boundary with fewer found more inwards on the plates. However, in Europe near the Mediterranean Sea there is a surprisingly large number of Earthquakes found relatively far from the boundary.
At some plate boundaries such as in the mid Atlantic, the elevations are relatively high due to the formation of a mid ocean ridge at a divergent plate boundary. However, at other plate boundaries where oceanic crust collides with continental, called a convergent boundary, the oceanic crust develops a deep trench and the continental crust develops a mountain range-like formation. At plate boundaries where two continental crust sections collide, we also see mountain formation.
At plate boundaries that are divergent we find younger seafloor with progressively older seafloor as you move away from the boundary. At boundaries that are convergent, we see older seafloor close to the boundary followed by progressively younger seafloor towards the other side of the plate.

I agree that we have all commonly identified that volcanoes and earthquakes are found at plate boundaries. We have all discovered that the distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes differ in that there are more volcanoes and earthquakes found in certain plate boundaries such as the Pacific Plate than other plates. In addition, volcanoes and earthquakes occur in different patterns in that some occur at a linear pattern whereas others appear in clusters and are focused in small areas. Further, we have commonly discovered that elevation which occurs at a plate boundary is higher than the area near the boundary as seen in the elevation at the Pacific Plate which is higher than the rest of the country. Additionally, we have all found that the age of the seafloor depends on its proximity to the plate boundary. The age seems to be younger at the plate boundary and older as it moves further away from the boundary.

It was observed that not in all plate boundaries there are volcanoes, their distribution depends on the area. Earthquakes occur at all limits. It is interesting to know that in most of the limits the age of the seabed is young and they are located in the ocean.

We all observed the different clusters of volcanoes as well as the commonality between the location of earthquakes and the plate boundaries. Something that my peers noticed that I did not related to the age of the seafloor; the older seafloor is closer to the boundary while the younger seafloor is away from these boundaries.

We came to the realization that volcanoes and likewise earthquakes usually occur with the similar patterns.  Some occurring linearly around the Pacific coast and others occurring in clusters, but are relative to their location. Topography is a bit random, but most commonly there’s higher elevation around the pacific and Iceland due to the formation of mountains and volcanoes. The pattern for sea floor spreading is easier to see, as sea floor starts younger near the boundary and gets older away from the boundary.